Update: The 2024 Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice.

The Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice provide evidence-based recommendations for infusion and access device related care in any healthcare setting. Developed and published by the Infusion Nurses Society, the Standards have increased the frequency of the revision process from an every 5-year cycle to a 3-year cycle due to the growing base of literature and to deliver the most updated and current practice recommendations. This article provides an overview of the development process and a brief description of selected standards. Notably, a new standard entitled Home Infusion Therapy was added in this latest edition. The Standards are an essential reference that should be available to every home care agency that provides home infusion therapy.

A Look at 2021 Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice.

The Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice provide evidence-based recommendations as published by the Infusion Nurses Society every 5 years. This article provides a brief overview of the development process and short summaries of selected standards with attention to highlighting the relevance to home care agencies and nurses. The Standards should be reviewed by any home care organization that provides home infusion therapy.

The Impact of Home Infusion Therapies on Caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the scope of home infusion therapy in cancer care, expectations related to caregiver involvement in home infusion therapy, literature addressing the impact upon caregivers, and nursing implications. DATA SOURCES: Published data on cancer care and home infusion therapy. CONCLUSION: While the administration of home infusion therapy is not uncommon practice for patients with cancer and is generally well-accepted, there is scant research focused specifically on the impact upon caregivers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Caregiver support not only includes providing instruction in infusion-related tasks but also recognizing the potential impact on the caregiver's life and offering supportive interventions.

2018 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

A panel of experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to update the 2004 clinical practice guideline on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) [1]. This guideline is intended to provide insight for healthcare professionals who prescribe and oversee the provision of OPAT. It considers various patient features, infusion catheter issues, monitoring questions, and antimicrobial stewardship concerns. It does not offer recommendations on the treatment of specific infections. The reader is referred to disease- or organism-specific guidelines for such support.

2018 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

A panel of experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America to update the 2004 clinical practice guideline on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) [1]. This guideline is intended to provide insight for healthcare professionals who prescribe and oversee the provision of OPAT. It considers various patient features, infusion catheter issues, monitoring questions, and antimicrobial stewardship concerns. It does not offer recommendations on the treatment of specific infections. The reader is referred to disease- or organism-specific guidelines for such support.

Antimicrobial Agents and Catheter Complications in Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Debate about whether certain antimicrobial agents traditionally considered vesicants increase the risk of catheter complications has led to uncertainty in venous catheter placement protocols. To understand whether patients requiring home-based outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) should receive peripheral catheters (e.g., midline catheters) versus central venous catheters, and to understand whether certain antimicrobial agents place home-based OPAT patients at higher risk for catheter complications, we investigated associations between antimicrobial agent(s) and catheter complications. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of patients requiring home-based OPAT discharged from two urban tertiary care academic medical centers, including telephone surveys and chart abstractions. Multivariable Poisson regressions were used to evaluate: (i) associations between antimicrobial agents traditionally considered vesicants, based on pH or osmolarity, and catheter complication rates, and (ii) associations between antimicrobial agent and rates of catheter complications. RESULTS: Vesicant antimicrobials defined using pH or osmolarity criteria were not associated with an increased rate of catheter complications (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR]: 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89-2.96). Vancomycin was associated with an increased rate of catheter complications, as was daptomycin (aIRR: 2.32 [95% CI: 1.20-4.46] and 4.45 [95% CI: 1.02-19.41], respectively). Staphylococcus aureus infections were also associated with an increased rate of catheter complications (aIRR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.09-4.19), as were midline catheters (aIRR: 9.44, 95% CI: 2.12-41.97). CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports recent guidance identifying vancomycin as a vesicant, among a subset of antimicrobial agents, and removal of pH criteria for identification of vesicants.

Development of an Evidence-Based List of Noncytotoxic Vesicant Medications and Solutions.

Infiltration of a vesicant medication, defined as extravasation, may result in significant patient injuries. The first step in preventing extravasation is the identification and recognition of vesicant medications and solutions. Because there is no list of noncytotoxic vesicants as established by a professional organization, the Infusion Nurses Society, as the global authority in infusion nursing, identified the need to address this gap. A task force was formed for the purpose of creating an evidence-based list of noncytotoxic vesicant medications and solutions.

The 2016 Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice.

Approximately every 5 years, the Infusion Nurses Society publishes evidence-based practice standards. This article provides an overview of the process used in standards development, describes the format of the standards, and provides a short summary of selected standards as applied to home care. The Standards are an important document that should be available to every home care organization that provides home infusion therapy.

Implementing Home Health Standards in Clinical Practice.

In 1986, the American Nurses Association (ANA) published the first Standards of Home Health Practice. Revised in 1992 and expanded in 1999 to become Home Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, it was revised in 2008 and again in 2014. In the 2014 edition, there are 6 standards of home healthcare nursing practice and 10 standards of professional performance for home healthcare nursing. The focus of this article is to describe the home healthcare standards and to provide guidance for implementation in clinical practice. It is strongly encouraged that home healthcare administrators, educators, and staff obtain a copy of the standards and fully read this essential home healthcare resource.

Intermittently delivered IV medication and pH: reevaluating the evidence.

The Infusion Nurses Society's Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice has treated pH as a critical factor in the decision-making process for vascular access device selection, stating that an infusate with a pH less than 5 or greater than 9 is not appropriate for short peripheral or midline catheters. Because of the Standards, drug pH is not an uncommon factor driving the decision for central vascular access. In this era of commitment to evidence-based practice, the pH recommendation requires reevaluation and a critical review of the research leading to infusate pH as a decisional factor. In this narrative literature review, historical and current research was appraised and synthesized for pH of intermittently delivered intravenous medications and the development of infusion thrombophlebitis. On the basis of this review, the authors conclude and assert that pH alone is not an evidence-based indication for central line placement.

Best practices for heart failure: a focused review.

Heart failure (HF) is a progressive condition and is associated with high patient mortality rates and frequent hospitalizations. This article provides an overview of clinical, self-management support, and care transitions best practices for HF care in the home care sector. Clinicians armed with competencies in HF management are positioned to meet the 3-part aim of healthcare reform: improved health, better care, and lower cost.

Central venous access device associated infections: recommendations for best practice in home infusion therapy.

Central venous access devices (CVADs) are commonly used for patients who require home infusion therapy. CVAD-associated infections are preventable with attention to hand hygiene, site assessment and care, use of aseptic technique with all infusion therapy-related procedures, and thorough patient education.

Establishing research priorities for the Infusion Nurses Society.

As the leader in the infusion nursing community, the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) recognizes the critical need for research to support the specialty practice. The purpose of this project was to gain input from INS members to establish research priorities for the organization. In partnership with Wayne State University College of Nursing, INS surveyed its members by using the Delphi approach. The qualitative responses received supported a theoretical framework on which to base an agenda. Respondents identified more problem areas in their practice than in research topics needing further exploration. Four themes, all falling under the overarching domain of patient safety, were identified. By identifying research priorities, INS will be able to guide the direction for research, focus the use of limited financial resources toward the most needed research, and use research to develop and support best practices for the infusion nursing specialty.