Phillips's Manual of IV Therapeutics: Evidence-Based Practice for Infusion Therapy, eighth edition, provides comprehensive information about infusion therapy for the nursing student and practicing nurse. This edition continues its focus on evidence-based practice. Knowledge and application of evidence-based practices are essential for every nurse who cares for vascular access devices and administers infusion therapy. This resource provides the nurse with essential knowledge about the rationale supporting infusion-related interventions and anatomy and physiology relative to the vascular system. Understanding the “why” behind practice recommendations is equally important to the nurse's skill in inserting vascular access devices and administering infusions. The dimensions of the nurse's role continue to expand with an ever-growing number of new infusion drugs, new infusion devices, insertion techniques, and other strategies aimed at reducing the risk for complications. The role of the nurse is collaborative with the health-care team, including nurse colleagues, infusion/vascular access teams, providers, and pharmacists, to ensure patient safety and implementation of best practices.
This eighth edition continues to address pediatric and older adult patients in a separate section in each chapter. With a growing number of patients receiving infusion therapy beyond the acute care setting, home care implications are also addressed. This resource incorporates the 2021 Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice published by the Infusion Nurses Society and other important evidence-based clinical practice guidelines from a variety of professional organizations.
This self-paced, comprehensive text presents information in a format ranging from simple to complex, incorporating theory into clinical application. The skills of recall, nursing process, critical thinking, and patient education are covered, along with detailed summaries, providing the foundation one needs to become a knowledgeable practitioner. At the end of many of the chapters, the psychomotor skills associated with infusion therapy are presented in step-by-step procedures with rationale based on standards of practice.
Each chapter includes accompanying objectives, defined glossary terms that are bolded within the text, a summary of chapter highlights, and a critical thinking case study. Chapter posttests, available in the text in previous editions, are now available on the FADavis.com website. Icons and special boxes are used throughout each chapter to key the reader to websites, patient education, home care issues, cultural considerations, and standards of practice. Students can expand their understanding of the material using the FADavis.com resources which include chapter quizzes, answers to in-text case study questions, and a selection of skills videos. An instructor's guide, more than 200 test questions, PowerPoint presentations, and additional case studies are included on the FADavis.com.faculty ancillaries, which can be used in the educational setting as well as in agencies for validating nursing competencies in infusion skills. The icons used in this eighth edition are as follows:
 | Identifies key points of theory content |
 | Identifies Nursing Fast Facts that are in italic and shaded within the chapter for important nursing practice information |
 | Identifies relevant studies in Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) |
 | Identifies Nursing Points of Care |
 | Identifies Home Care Issues |
 | Identifies Patient Education information |
 | Identifies a media link, which refers to FADavis.com, and is located in the critical thinking case study section at the end of each chapter |
 | Identifies Infusion Nurses Society (INS) Standards of Practice |
The eighth edition of this resource is organized from foundations of practice followed by basic practices for all nurses and concludes with specialty infusion practices. The first three foundation chapters are designed to give in-depth information to the reader on nursing practice related to infusion therapy (nursing process applied to infusion therapy, legal and ethical responsibilities, evidence-based practice background, and performance improvement), infection prevention and risk management practices, and fundamentals of fluid and electrolyte balance.
The subsequent seven chapters provide the essential solid foundation in infusion therapy practices, including parenteral solutions, infusion equipment, peripheral and central vascular access device insertion and management, complications, medication infusion modalities, and infusion calculations. Alternative infusion routes, including subcutaneous, intraosseous, and intraspinal, are also addressed. This edition has incorporated recurring displays for cultural and ethnic-related issues. Key concepts for nursing practice are identified as “Nursing Fast Facts,” and “Note” identifies an important theory concept.
The last three chapters encompass the additional topics of transfusion therapy, parenteral nutrition, and a new chapter that provides an overview of biologic infusion therapies. There are many biologic therapies used to treat a variety of diseases such as autoimmune disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and the number of biologic therapies continues to grow. These infusion therapies are administered by nurses in hospital, outpatient, and home care settings. FADavis.com contains questions based on standards of practice and follows the guidelines of the INS Core Curriculum for certification. The chapter posttest questions are also now located on the website. FADavis.com also includes guidelines for discussion and answers to the case studies, as well as additional math calculation problems and answers. The FADavis.com website provides the learner with web-based ancillaries, an additional 50 interactive flashcards for learning terminology, interactive case studies, and web links for further research.
I hope this new edition provides you, whether you are a practicing health-care professional or student, with valuable information to ensure safe practice of infusion therapy and a sound reference for this constantly advancing field.
Lisa Gorski