A. Introduction

Welcome to this lesson on the administration of medications. This lesson will cover the common routes of medication administration. We’ll discuss how to prepare and administer medications safely and effectively using various routes, including intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC), oral (PO), rectal, and inhalation.

• Introduce the topic.
• Review what you will learn in this lesson.
• Explain the importance of safe medication administration in the ICU.
• Discuss the common routes of medication administration.
• Give a quick overview of what we will cover in this lesson.

B. Principles of Safe Medication Administration

Safe medication administration is essential to patient care.

Discuss the Six Rights of Medication Administration:

• Right patient
• Right medication
• Right dose
• Right route
• Right time
• Right documentation

Discuss other important principles:

• Check for allergies
• Verify medication orders
• Perform hand hygiene
• Use aseptic technique
• Monitor for adverse effects
• Educate the patient

C. Intravenous (IV) Medication Administration

Intravenous administration delivers medication directly into a vein.

• Discuss the indications for IV medication administration.
• Discuss the contraindications for IV medication administration.

Discuss the equipment and supplies needed for IV medication administration:

• IV catheter
• IV tubing
• IV solution
• Syringe and needle (if administering a bolus)
• Alcohol swabs
• Gloves
• Tourniquet
• Tape or transparent dressing

Explain the different methods of IV administration:

• IV push (bolus)
• IV infusion (continuous or intermittent)
• Piggyback (secondary infusion)

How to administer IV push medication:

• Step 1: Prepare the medication
  • Verify the medication order
  • Check for allergies and contraindications
  • Draw up the correct dose into a syringe
  • Label the syringe
• Step 2: Prepare the IV site
  • Confirm IV patency
  • Clean the IV site with an alcohol swab
• Step 3: Administer the medication
  • Slowly inject the medication over the recommended time
  • Flush the IV line with saline before and after administration
  • Observe the patient for any adverse reactions
• Step 4: Document
  • Document medication administration

Discuss potential complications of IV administration:

• Infiltration
• Extravasation
• Phlebitis
• Infection
• Air embolism
• Allergic reactions

D. Intramuscular (IM) Medication Administration

Intramuscular administration delivers medication into a muscle.

• Discuss the indications for IM medication administration.
• Discuss the contraindications for IM medication administration.

Discuss the equipment and supplies needed for IM medication administration:

• Syringe and needle (appropriate size and gauge)
• Alcohol swabs
• Gloves
• Gauze pads

Discuss the common IM injection sites:

• Deltoid muscle
• Vastus lateralis muscle
• Gluteus medius muscle

How to administer an IM injection:

• Step 1: Prepare the medication
  • • Verify the medication order
    • Check for allergies and contraindications
    • Draw up the correct dose into a syringe
    • Select the appropriate needle size and gauge