Due to extensive damage sustained by Baxter’s North Cove, NC, facility from Hurricane Helene, INS has issued the following guidance, based on the 2024 Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. INS is dedicated to assisting health care providers in managing product shortages while maintaining high standards of care.

In 2017, INS formed a Vesicant Task Force (VTF) with the goal to formulate an evidence-based list of noncytotoxic vesicant medications and solutions. At the conclusion of that work, the VTF recommended that the list be updated on a regular basis as new data emerge and as new medications are introduced into the market. So, in 2021, a new VTF was formed to review the literature and revise the 2017 vesicant list. Recognition of vesicants and their relative risk of injury is essential to extravasation prevention, early recognition, and appropriate treatment. To this end, the VTF developed and published an updated Extravasation Prevention Checklist in 2024. We are pleased to share this updated Extravasation Prevention Checklist in the INS Learning Center. To access the checklist, click "Register" and log in. Then, you can download the official document.

There is a lack of standardized IV push medication preparation and administration teaching strategies used in nursing programs throughout the US. This lack of standardization creates an alarming variation in clinical practice that places patients at a higher risk of harm. A new Evidence-Based Practice guide and checklist of best practice standards Based on INS’s Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice and ISMP’s Safe Practice Guidelines for Adult IV Push Medications has been published to educate student nurses, novice nurses, and experienced nurses, to assess competency in skill acquisition related to IV push medication administration.

INS acknowledges the plight of the public, our members and valued colleagues, as we work collectively to manage the many concerns associated with COVID-19. Many are asking if INS is able to give “new guidance” regarding modification for adherence to the INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice. While we are presently unable to recommend modifications to the established standards of practice (e.g., extend dressing change intervals, extend administration set change intervals, etc.), we recognize the challenges many are facing due to the limited number of caregivers and the scarcity of supplies.