IPH - Hour 3 - Routes or Administration

Parenteral (by Injection)

The parenteral route requires an injection. You will learn more about these techniques and have an opportunity to practice later in Term I. For now, you only need to understand the basic definitions, differences, and specific nursing considerations of these routes.

The most common parenteral routes are the Intradermal (ID) route, the Subcutaneous (subQ) route, the Intramuscular (IM) route, and the Intravenous (IV) route. Medications of the different routes are Print "injected into different tissues of the body.

You should also be able to identify the parts of the needle and syringe.

The parenteral route is a more efficient route of medication administration than the oral route.

(1) Onset It takes less time for the medication to be absorbed and distributed to the target cells. In the case of intravenous route, the medication is instantly distributed.

(2) Bioavailability. The medication isn't destroyed by gastric enzymes or minimized by the first pass effect. The dosages of medications given by the parenteral route are generally less than the oral route.

Disadvantages of the Parenteral Route

(1) Discomfort and Inconvenience. Injections can be painful. They take more time to prepare and administer. The patient usually needs to be taken to a private area.

(2) Costly. Parenteral medications need to be packaged in sterile glass vials (or ampules). Sterile syringes are costly. Syringes and vials need to be discarded and disposed of in special ways.

(3) Lack of Safety. If a mistake is made, it is difficult to remove the medication from the bloodstream. Also, parenteral medications pose needlestick injuries to the medication administrator.

(4) Infection and Tissue Damage. Injections create a portal of entry through which microbes may enter the body. Some medications cause damage or even necrosis to the injected tissue. An injection given improperly or into the wrong site may cause serious and permanent nerve damage.

Parenteral Injections

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