MODEL RELEASED. Home visit. Nurse caring for a 68- year-old woman at home. The nurse is adjusting the catheter in the patient's neck in preparation for cleaning the area. The catheter is a thin tube for introducing or withdrawing fluids from the body. In this case, it is being used to introduce drugs and fluids into a vein in the patient's neck. The wound cannot heal properly while the catheter is in place, and so it needs to be cleaned regularly to prevent infection. Home visits are used to care for patients with long-term or terminal illnesses, who wish to remain at home.