Survey of nursing practice related to decanting intravenous solutions

A survey instrument was mailed to a stratified random sample of 1000 nurses from the membership list of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to determine whether there are generally accepted standards for decanting intravenous (IV) solutions before the addition of medication. Four hundred seventy-eight surveys were returned from 47 states and the District of Columbia. Of those, 475 were usable. Seventy-one percent of the respondents did not decant. Of those who did decant (29%), 79% used a needle and syringe to withdraw a volume equal to that of the medication to be added. The results of this study indicate that no generally accepted standards of practice exist for the preparation of IV solutions. Patients may not, therefore, be receiving the dose prescribed by the physician. Nurses need to develop standards for accurate administration of IV solutions.