Objective To improve the quality of intravenous (IV) therapy and patient satisfaction. Methods A total of 2 264 patients were divided into a control group of 1 152 and an intervention group of 1 112 chronologically. The control group received conventional IV therapy guided by the original standards, while the intervention group received IV therapy followed standard operating procedures (SOP), including building a team to develop the SOP manual, formulating SOP, providing training for nurses and conducting special quality control, etc. Results The intervention group had higher IV quality and patient satisfaction compared with the control group (P＜0.01 for both). Conclusion The SOP manual standardizes IV therapy, thus to enhance nursing quality and patient satisfaction.