Learning Center
Nursing Adaptations in Infusion Practices During a Nationwide Intravenous Fluid Shortage [virtual]
This session explores the real-world implications of fluid shortages on infusion practice and nursing workflow, drawing from institutional data and frontline experience at a large academic medical center. Fluid conservation efforts created unintended clinical, safety, and workload consequences. This presentation will share lessons learned, multidisciplinary mitigation strategies, and implications for clinical practice during future fluid supply disruptions. Attendees will gain insight into how nurses can innovate, adapt, and advocate for safe patient care under constrained conditions.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, learners will be able to:
Describe the clinical and operational impact of nationwide IV fluid shortages on infusion nursing practice
Identify safety risks associated with converting secondary infusions to primary administration during fluid conservation
Evaluate the implications of increased IV pump alarms on nursing workload and vascular access device care
Discuss interdisciplinary strategies to conserve fluid resources while maintaining safe and effective medication delivery
Contact Hours: 1
CRNI® RUs: 2
Karen Meade, MS, APRN-CNS, AGCNS-BC, OCN
Clinical Nurse Specialist
The James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
Karen Meade, MS, APRN-CNS, AGCNS-BC, OCN, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where her work focuses on advancing safe, evidence-based infusion therapy practices. Her clinical and scholarly interests include intravenous smart pump technology, medication delivery, infusion system design, and the ways nurses interact with infusion devices in complex care environments. Ms Meade has presented nationally on considerations and limitations associated with intravenous smart pump medication administration and the implications of infusion technology for patient safety. Karen is also a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her research examines the use of intravenous smart pump-generated data to better understand alarm phenomena, nurse-pump interactions, and opportunities to improve the safety and effectiveness of infusion therapy.
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