Provision of intravenous therapy in a skilled nursing facility

Intravenous therapy is one of the admission criteria for the geriatric patient to enter a skilled nursing facility. Because of shortened hospital stays, more and more geriatric patients are placed in this type of nursing home. These facilities are also potential alternatives to hospitalization of the nursing home resident who requires I.V. therapy. Multiple factors, such as the aging population, federal programs for the elderly, and the economic health care climate, have contributed to the emergence of the skilled nursing facility as a practice setting for I.V. therapy. As the acuity of nursing home residents continues to rise, I.V. therapy will become a more frequent treatment modality. Therefore, I.V. nurses must be aware of the impact of provision of this service in the skilled nursing facility setting.