Development of an Infusion Alliance

Abstract

Infusion therapy is one of the most invasive, complex, and pervasive therapies in the current health care system, yet there is very little investment in organizational knowledge management and intellectual human capital required to maintain patient safety. Catheter complications, fluid and medication errors, inadequate nutritional support, and transfusion of incompatible blood products manifest evidence of the ongoing problem. The number of infusion therapy teams has greatly decreased because of questionable cost-cutting strategies; however, it is clear from identified trends in health care that infusion teams and the concept of an infusion alliance has a distinct place within a modern health care organization.

In Brief

Infusion therapy is one of the most invasive, complex, and pervasive therapies in the current health care system, yet there is very little investment in organizational knowledge management and intellectual human capital required to maintain patient safety. Catheter complications, fluid and medication errors, inadequate nutritional support, and transfusion of incompatible blood products manifest evidence of the ongoing problem. The number of infusion therapy teams has greatly decreased because of questionable cost-cutting strategies; however, it is clear from identified trends in health care that infusion teams and the concept of an infusion alliance has a distinct place within a modern health care organization.