Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Injection Technique
Why Injections?
Whilst the gastrointestinal tract is the ideal route for most medications it has some distinct disadvantages including; slow variable absorption and the ability to inactivate (digest) some medications.
Advantages of administration by injection include:
- Rapid action
- Drug may not be available in oral form
- Patient is 'nil by mouth'
- Some drugs are destroyed by the digestive processes in the stomach, e.g. insulin
- Able to administer long acting (depot) medications for maintenance therapy, e.g. contraception (Depo-provera) and antipsychotics (Modecate)
- Selecting drug route helps to optimise therapy (i.e. able to control absorption rates)