A subcutaneous injection is given into fat and loose connective tissue underlying the dermis. This route is used for administering small doses of non-irritating, water soluble substances. Subcutaneous tissue is not richly supplied with blood vessels, so medication is absorbed slowly. For this reason, it is the preferred route for administration of medications that require a slow and steady release into the blood stream. Examples of medications commonly delivered via this route include insulin and low molecular weight heparins. Some medications may be supplied in a pre-filled syringe and needle system.<\/p>\n
Once you have watched this video, why not attempt the multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A subcutaneous injection is given into fat and loose connective tissue underlying the dermis. This route is used for administering small doses of non-irritating, water soluble substances. Subcutaneous tissue is not richly supplied with blood vessels, so medication is absorbed slowly. For this reason, it is the preferred route for administration of medications that require […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tomorrows-clinicians","category-uncategorized","entry"],"youtubeVideo":"509812443\/e43c88ca6c","question1":"What checks should you perform prior to the administration of a subcutaneous injection? ","answers1":"Check if the patient has any allergies\r\n| Ensure the drug chart is correctly completed\r\n| Ensure you have the correct medication\r\n| Ensure you are using the correct route\r\n| All of the above","correctAnswer1":"4","correctAnswerText1":"","question2":"With what gauge needle should you administer a routine subcutaneous injection? ","answers2":"25 gauge\r\n| 21 gauge\r\n| 23 gauge\r\n| 24 gauge","correctAnswer2":"0","correctAnswerText2":"","question3":"What routine medications can be administered subcutaneously ?","answers3":" Insulin\r\n| Low-molecular-weight heparin\r\n| Adrenaline\r\n| All of the above","correctAnswerText3":"","correctAnswer3":"3","question4":"What should the patient's skin be free from prior to delivering a subcutaneous injection?","answers4":"Scars\r\n| Inflammation\r\n| Skin lesions\r\n| All of the above","correctAnswer4":"3","correctAnswerText4":"","question5":"Which is not a preferred site for administering subcutaneous injections?","answers5":"Abdomen\r\n| Upper arm\r\n| Thigh\r\n| Buttocks","correctAnswer5":"3","correctAnswerText5":"","question6":"Prior to delivering the medication you should...","answers6":" Stretch the skin\r\n| Bunch or pinch the skin\r\n| Hold the skin taught\r\n| Do nothing","correctAnswer6":"1","correctAnswerText6":"","question7":"What should you do post procedure?","answers7":"Check and monitor the injection site\r\n| Conduct a set of observations\r\n| Instruct the patient to refrain from movement of the limb\r\n| Inform the patient of the risks","correctAnswer7":"0","correctAnswerText7":"","question8":"What is the purpose of rotating the injection site?","answers8":"To prevent hardening of the skin\r\n| Patient\u2019s preference\r\n| Prevent damage and breakdown of the skin\r\n| Prevents bruising","correctAnswer8":"0","correctAnswerText8":"","question9":"Subcutaneous injections should be administered at a 30 degree angle.","answers9":"True\r\n| False","correctAnswer9":"1","correctAnswerText9":"Subcutaneous injections should be administered at either 45 or 90 degrees and in line with manufacturer's guidance.","question10":"You should always clean the skin prior to delivering a subcutaneous injection","answers10":"True\r\n| False","correctAnswer10":"1","correctAnswerText10":"Unless the injection site is visibly soiled, it is not necessary to clean the skin prior to administering a subcutaneous injection.","question11":"","answers11":"","correctAnswer11":"","correctAnswerText11":"","question12":"","answers12":"","correctAnswer12":"","correctAnswerText12":"","question13":"","answers13":"","correctAnswer13":"","correctAnswerText13":"","question14":"","answers14":"","correctAnswer14":"","correctAnswerText14":"","question15":"","answers15":"","correctAnswer15":"","correctAnswerText15":"","icon":"subcutaneous-injections","parentId":"","recapId":"391","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}