Infusion nursing statistics at a glance
Infusion nursing sits at the intersection of workforce experience, device selection, and patient-facing service delivery. The statistics below show a field with deep clinical tenure, highly specific vascular access patterns, and large-scale patient experience tracking (NHIA workforce assessment; NHIA VAD study; NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking).
Fast facts:
- INS reported 5,324 members in its 2024 year-in-review infographic (INS 2024 Year in Review).
- The home infusion nurse workforce study surveyed 524 home infusion nurses and counted 199 certifications among them (NHIA workforce assessment).
- The vascular access device study analyzed 10,967 patient cases after exclusions (NHIA VAD study).
- Home infusion patient satisfaction benchmarking collected 16,472 submissions in 2023 (NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking).
Table of contents
- Infusion nursing workforce statistics
- Infusion nursing certification and experience
- Infusion nursing workforce retention signals
- Infusion nursing vascular access statistics
- Infusion nursing patient satisfaction benchmarks
- What the numbers suggest for infusion nursing
Infusion nursing workforce statistics
The workforce data point to a profession with substantial clinical depth. The average home infusion nurse had 22.38 years of nursing experience and 9.55 years of home infusion experience in the workforce assessment (NHIA workforce assessment). That combination matters because infusion nursing depends on judgment built over time, not just task repetition.
A second way to read the same dataset is through formal credentials. Across 524 nurses, the study recorded 199 certifications in total (NHIA workforce assessment). That is not a niche group of newcomers; it is a seasoned workforce with a dense concentration of specialty training.
Key workforce figures
| Metric | Value | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Nurses surveyed | 524 | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Certifications counted | 199 | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Average nursing experience | 22.38 years | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Average home infusion experience | 9.55 years | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Previously worked in ICU | 34.54% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Had ED or ICU experience before home infusion | 47.14% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Had both ED and ICU experience | 15.27% | NHIA workforce assessment |
The experience profile is especially important. Nearly one-third, 34.54%, had previously worked in the ICU, while 47.14% had either ED or ICU experience before entering home infusion (NHIA workforce assessment). That mix suggests a workforce trained to handle acuity, complexity, and escalation decisions.
Infusion nursing certification and experience
Certification data show how specialized the field is. Among the surveyed nurses, 13.55% held the CRNI credential, 7.63% held the IgCN credential, and 4.58% held the OCN credential (NHIA workforce assessment). Those percentages do not just describe a credential mix; they signal how infusion nursing overlaps with vascular access, immunoglobulin therapy, and oncology-related practice.
Certification snapshot
| Credential | Share of surveyed nurses | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| CRNI | 13.55% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| IgCN | 7.63% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| OCN | 4.58% | NHIA workforce assessment |
One national provider reported that 20% of its infusion nurses earned CRNI (NHIA workforce assessment). At the same time, the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation had certified nearly 3,000 active CRNI nurses worldwide (NHIA workforce assessment). Those two data points together show both a concentrated specialty credential within one provider and a broader global certification base.
Why credential mix matters
A credential mix like this usually points to several practical realities:
- Nurses are working across different therapy types and patient needs.
- Formal specialty knowledge is being used as a hiring, quality, or advancement signal.
- The field likely rewards long clinical careers, since the average nurse in the study had more than two decades of total nursing experience (NHIA workforce assessment).
The workforce age is not directly stated in the dataset, but the experience totals already tell the story: infusion nursing is a mature practice area where expertise accumulates over years, not months.
Infusion nursing workforce retention signals
Retention is one of the most useful signals in the dataset because it points to how stable the profession may be. In the workforce assessment, 61.45% of home infusion nurses were not planning to leave the profession, while 15.84% were planning to leave (NHIA workforce assessment). That leaves a sizable portion who were either undecided or not captured in the yes/no split, but the strongest signal is still clear: more nurses were staying than leaving.
Retention snapshot
| Workforce planning measure | Value | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Not planning to leave the profession | 61.45% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Planning to leave the profession | 15.84% | NHIA workforce assessment |
| Leave reason: retirement among those planning to leave | 65.60% | NHIA workforce assessment |
The reason for leaving is as important as the leaving rate itself. Among those planning to leave, 65.60% said retirement was the reason (NHIA workforce assessment). That is a very different challenge from churn driven by dissatisfaction or role mismatch. Retirement-linked departure usually means the field is losing accumulated expertise as veteran nurses step away.
Experience distribution adds context
The distribution of years of experience reinforces the same point. In the workforce assessment:
- 18.65% had 16 to 20 years of nursing experience (NHIA workforce assessment).
- 31.92% had 11 to 20 years of total nursing experience (NHIA workforce assessment).
- The average home infusion nurse had 22.38 years of nursing experience (NHIA workforce assessment).
That is a workforce with a wide base of long-tenured clinicians. When retirement becomes the main exit reason, the operational concern is not just staffing levels; it is knowledge transfer.
Infusion nursing vascular access statistics
The vascular access dataset is the most concrete operational view in the full set because it tracks actual device use across 10,967 patient cases (NHIA VAD study). The study began with 12,968 patient cases from 26 providers, but after exclusions and data checks, the final dataset settled at 10,967 cases (NHIA VAD study).
That scale matters. Device choice is not anecdotal here; it is measured across thousands of cases with age and therapy detail.
Dataset structure
| VAD study metric | Value | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Patient cases started with | 12,968 | NHIA VAD study |
| Providers contributing | 26 | NHIA VAD study |
| Cases with therapy type, VAD, and age data before exclusions | 11,265 | NHIA VAD study |
| Cases removed for non-VAD therapy types | 298 | NHIA VAD study |
| Final dataset size | 10,967 | NHIA VAD study |
| Mean patient age | 59.26 years | NHIA VAD study |
| Age range | 0 to 100 years | NHIA VAD study |
The mean patient age was 59.26 years, and the age range ran from 0 to 100 years (NHIA VAD study). That spread matters because it shows infusion nursing serving a broad patient population, not one narrow age band.
Device use patterns
The headline device result is that a PICC was used in 7,193 of the patient cases (NHIA VAD study). In percentage terms, PICCs were used in 72.69% of anti-infective cases and 68.88% of parenteral nutrition cases (NHIA VAD study). That is a strong signal that PICCs are central to major home infusion therapy categories.
Other device shares show how therapy type shapes access choice:
- Midlines were used in 13.12% of the cases (NHIA VAD study).
- Short peripheral IV catheters were used in 8.59% of the cases (NHIA VAD study).
- Implanted ports were used in 87.74% of anti-neoplastic chemotherapy cases (NHIA VAD study).
- Implanted ports were used in 37.57% of hydration therapy cases (NHIA VAD study).
- Short peripheral IV catheters were used in 91.82% of biologics cases (NHIA VAD study).
Device and therapy comparison
| Therapy type | Most visible device statistic | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-infective | PICCs in 72.69% of cases | NHIA VAD study |
| Parenteral nutrition | PICCs in 68.88% of cases | NHIA VAD study |
| Anti-neoplastic chemotherapy | Implanted ports in 87.74% of cases | NHIA VAD study |
| Hydration therapy | Implanted ports in 37.57% of cases | NHIA VAD study |
| Biologics | Short peripheral IV catheters in 91.82% of cases | NHIA VAD study |
This table is useful because it shows that infusion nursing is not one-device-fits-all practice. The preferred access method changes sharply by therapy category, which is exactly what a mature infusion discipline should look like.
What the VAD numbers imply operationally
The strongest pattern in the VAD study is specialization by therapy:
- Infection and parenteral nutrition lean heavily toward PICCs (NHIA VAD study).
- Anti-neoplastic chemotherapy strongly favors implanted ports (NHIA VAD study).
- Biologics rely heavily on short peripheral IV catheters (NHIA VAD study).
The study’s sample size also makes these patterns hard to dismiss as small-sample noise. With 10,967 cases, the device mix reflects broad practice behavior rather than isolated clinic preferences (NHIA VAD study).
Infusion nursing patient satisfaction benchmarks
Patient experience adds another layer to the picture. The benchmarking data recorded 6,353 submissions in 2019, 7,381 in 2020, 6,126 in 2021, 6,842 in 2022, and 16,472 in 2023 (NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking). That 2023 total is especially notable because it more than doubles the 2022 volume.
Annual submission trend
| Year | Survey submissions | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6,353 | NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking |
| 2020 | 7,381 | NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking |
| 2021 | 6,126 | NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking |
| 2022 | 6,842 | NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking |
| 2023 | 16,472 | NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking |
The change from 6,842 in 2022 to 16,472 in 2023 is the clearest single growth move in the entire dataset (NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking). It suggests either much broader participation, stronger measurement coverage, or both. The dataset does not tell us why; it does show that the scale changed dramatically.
Positive experience benchmarks
The first two positive experience measures in the dataset are both high. In 2019, 95.28% of respondents rated equipment and supplies positively, and in 2020 that benchmark rose to 95.50% (NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking).
That consistency matters because supply quality is a basic service expectation. If equipment and supplies are consistently rated above 95%, then the challenge shifts away from baseline provision and toward maintaining that standard across a larger volume of patient interactions.
What strong satisfaction data usually signals
High benchmark scores do not prove perfection, but they do suggest:
- Patients are getting a service experience that clears a high satisfaction bar.
- Operational reliability may be holding up even as survey volume changes.
- In home infusion, the patient-facing side of the service is substantial enough to track at scale, not just an afterthought.
INS membership and field size context
The professional association snapshot adds another useful frame. INS reported 5,324 members in its 2024 year-in-review infographic and showed social followings of 10,315, 9,840, and 2,838 on three channels in the same year (INS 2024 Year in Review). Even without over-reading social metrics, the numbers indicate an active and visible professional community.
That matters because a field like infusion nursing depends on more than clinical data. It also depends on professional network strength, continuing education, credential pathways, and shared standards. A membership base of 5,324 gives the field a definable professional center, while the social audience figures show additional reach beyond formal membership (INS 2024 Year in Review).
Infusion nursing data patterns worth watching
A few patterns stand out when the workforce, VAD, and satisfaction datasets are read together:
- The workforce is experienced. The average nurse had 22.38 years of total nursing experience (NHIA workforce assessment).
- The field is credentialed. The survey counted 199 certifications among 524 nurses (NHIA workforce assessment).
- The profession appears fairly stable, with 61.45% not planning to leave and retirement driving most planned exits (NHIA workforce assessment).
- Device choice is highly therapy-specific, especially for PICCs, ports, and short peripheral IV catheters (NHIA VAD study).
- Patient feedback is being measured at scale, with 16,472 submissions in 2023 and consistently high equipment-and-supplies ratings above 95% in the earlier years shown (NHIA patient satisfaction benchmarking).
The bigger takeaway is that infusion nursing is a data-rich specialty. The workforce, device, and patient-experience numbers all point to a mature clinical domain with enough scale to measure, compare, and benchmark in meaningful ways.