Infusion therapy

Ensuring the safest care for patients undergoing infusion therapy through updated guidance

Essential facts

Many patients admitted to hospital or receiving care in other settings will be recipients of one or more infusion therapies. Total parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy, parenteral antimicrobial therapy, pain relief and other infusion therapies are increasingly delivered in community settings. While the move away from hospitals helps meet patients’ lifestyle and clinical needs, it can have implications for care and safety.

What’s new

The RCN has published updated standards for infusion therapy. They are intended to help healthcare professionals ensure each patient receives the most appropriate infusion therapy through the most apt device and site, in the most suitable environment and at the right time. Infusion therapies, cannulation and phlebotomy are