Intravenous fluid bolus therapy: a bi-national survey of critical care nurses' self-reported practice

Abstract

Knowledge of critical care nurses' intravenous fluid bolus therapy (FBT) practice remains underexplored. Using a multi-choice online survey conducted between September and October 2014, we sought to describe the self-reported practice of critical care nurses located in Australia and New Zealand. Two hundred and ninety-five critical care nurses responded to the survey with most practising in adult ICUs. Overall, 0.9% saline solution was the preferred solution for FBT. However, more Australian than New Zealand respondents preferred 'albumin 4%' (31% versus 3.6%, P <0.01) for FBT. In contrast, more New Zealand respondents preferred 'Plasma-Lyte®' (33.3% versus 6.4%, P 1000 ml and administration..