Intravenous Medication Administration Safety
Key Points
- IV administration delivers medication directly into the bloodstream for rapid onset.
- Safe IV medication practice requires strict identity/order verification and vascular-access assessment before administration.
- Aseptic setup and compatibility checks are mandatory to reduce contamination and medication-error risk.
Equipment
- MAR and active provider order access
- Sterile IV supplies (catheter, tubing, syringe) and ordered medication
- Antiseptic solution for infusion-site disinfection
- Monitoring tools for immediate response and adverse-reaction surveillance
Procedure Steps
- Verify patient identity and compare medication order with MAR before preparation.
- Assess vascular access and confirm a suitable infusion site is available.
- Perform hand hygiene and prepare all required sterile equipment.
- Disinfect infusion site with antiseptic solution according to protocol.
- Select catheter size/type based on patient age, vein characteristics, and medication properties.
- Confirm medication compatibility with ordered IV solution before administration.
- Administer IV medication using route-specific agency procedure.
- Monitor continuously for intended therapeutic response and adverse reactions.
- Document medication name, dose, route, infusion site, timing, and patient response.
Common Errors
- Administering without compatibility verification → infusion reaction or therapy failure risk.
- Inadequate aseptic technique → line contamination and infection risk.
- Poor vascular-access assessment → infiltration or ineffective delivery.
- Delayed post-administration monitoring → missed early adverse reaction signs.
Related
- intramuscular-medication-administration - Route comparison highlights tissue-based versus intravascular delivery considerations.
- oral-medication-administration-safety - Shared medication-rights and documentation principles across administration routes.