• Judy E Davidson, Neal Doran, Amber Petty, Daniel L Arellano, Elizabeth A Henneman, Sandra K Hanneman, Hildy Schell-Chaple, Judy Glann, Lisa W Smith, Katrina L Derry, Marigene McNicholl, Mary Lou Warren, Sue S Scott, Tess Slazinski, Thomas Ahrens, Barbara McLean, Laura Chechel, and Teresa Rincon.
• Judy E. Davidson is a nurse scientist, University of California San Diego Health, San Diego, California.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2021 Sep 1; 30 (5): 365-374.

BackgroundCritical care nurses titrate continuous infusions of medications to achieve clinical end points. In 2017, The Joint Commission (TJC) placed restrictions on titration practice, decreasing nurses' autonomous decision-making.ObjectivesTo describe the practice and perceptions of nurses regarding the 2017 TJC accreditation/regulatory standards for titration of continuous medication infusions.MethodsA survey of nurses' experiences titrating continuous medication infusions was developed, validated, and distributed electronically to members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.ResultsThe content validity index for the survey was 1.0 for relevance and 0.95 for clarity. A total of 781 nurses completed the survey; 625 (80%) perceived titration standards to cause delays in patient care, and 726 (93%) experienced moral distress (mean [SD], 4.97 [2.67]; scale, 0-10). Among respondents, 33% could not comply with titration orders, 68% reported suboptimal care resulting from pressure to comply with orders, 70% deviated from orders to meet patient needs, and 84% requested revised orders to ensure compliance. Suboptimal care and delays in care significantly and strongly (regression coefficients ≥0.69) predicted moral distress.ConclusionsCritical care nurses perceive TJC medication titration standards to adversely impact patient care and contribute to moral distress. The improved 2020 updates to the standards do not address delays and inability to comply with orders, leading to moral distress. Advocacy is indicated in order to mitigate unintended consequences of TJC medication management titration standards.©2021 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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