Injections - Intramuscular

Question 1

Step one ?

Answer 1

Your ID
Patients ID
Explanation - reason, procedure and complications
Consent
Pain

Question 2

How would you explain this procedure?

Answer 2

Reason - Check the patient’s understanding of the medication being given, and explain why it is being given

Procedure - inserting the needle into the upper arm/leg and injecting medication, should feel a sharp scratch but it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable

Complications - Sore, chance of bleeding. adverse reactions

Question 3

For IM, what should you screen the patient for?

Answer 3

Allergies
If patient has a bleeding disorder/is on anticoags
If patient has a preferred injection site
If patient gets regular Im injections, rotate the site

Question 4

What would you check before making up the syringe?

Answer 4

If prescription matched patient, correct dose, expiration dates

Question 5

How would we prepare the dose?

Answer 5

• Hand hygiene and gloves
• Disinfect top of vial
• Attach needle and syringe
• Draw air matching dose into syringe
• Puncture vial, inject air, invert and measure correct dose
• Tap before exiting vial and get rid of air bubbles
• Remove needle from the vial
• Remove needle from syringe using sharps bin AND CHANGE
• Double check air is removed
• Take off gloves
• Take equipment over to patient

Question 6

Describe all the steps up until you insert the needle.

Answer 6

• Double check patients ID, explain again (reason, procedure and complications)
• Wash hands and reglove
• Disinfect skin for 30 seconds and let dry
• Stretch skin (state you would use a z-track method but was told it damages the models so you are only going to stretch it with thumb and index)

Question 7

Describe how to insert and inject.

Answer 7

• Insert needle and a 90 degree angle, quick and smooth all the way through up to hub of needle
• Stabilize via “stab and grab”
• Aspirate and wait 5-10 secs (if blood flows back, you punctured a vessel and need to take needle out, press on site to stop a bleed and do it all over again)
• If no blood, inject
• Wait 10 secs before removing

Question 8

How do we wrap this up?

Answer 8

• Discard needle immediatly
• Clean up
• Thank patient and inform them arm may be sore and they may have a reaction but will be monitored closely in the next hour or so