Dilution Protocol

Introduction

Medication administration errors can have a number of negative consequences, including

• Increased costs
• Prolonged hospital stays
• Psychological distress
• Loss of public confidence in healthcare
• Patient morbidity or mortality

To help prevent medication administration errors, it is important to have clear and accurate guidelines for the dilution and administration of injectable drugs.

Malaysia

The JKN Selangor Dilution Protocol 2017 is a good example of such a guideline.

• However, it only covers a limited number of drugs.

The Dilution Guideline for Injectable Drugs, 2020 is a general reference for healthcare professionals on how to prepare dilutions of certain injectable drugs before administering them to patients.

• The guideline currently only covers Part 1, which focuses on antimicrobials.

However, as new drugs are approved and existing drugs are modified, a more dynamic and accessible website or mobile application would be a better format for this guideline.

• It would allow for continuous updates to be made as new information becomes available.

Established Injectable Drug Reference

Some of the most popular injectable drug references include

• ASHP Injectable Drug Information, 2022
• Australian Injectable Drug Handbooks, 2023 - free trial is available
• Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses, 2022
  
• Elsevier's 2023 Intravenous Medications, 2022
• External Stability for Parenteral Drugs, 2022
• GlobalRPh IV Dilutions Medication Reference and Infusion Guidelines
• Injectable Drugs Guide, 2011
• King Guide
• Pediatric Injectable Drugs (The Teddy Bear Book), 2024
• Stabilis.org
• Trissel's Stability of Compounded Formulations, 2018
• UKCPA: Minimum Infusion Volumes, 2012

NOTE: Lexicomp and Micromedex both use Trissel's Clinical Pharmaceutics Content for their IV compatibility databases, so there is no significant difference in the information they offer. Hence, if you are looking for additional information on IV compatibility and stability data, you may want to consult other references, such as King Guide or ASHP Injectable Drug Information.