Administration Routes

• 1. Convenient and comfortable for client
• 2. Economical
• 3. Easy to administer
• 4. Often produce local or systemic effects
• 5. Rarely cause anxiety for client

• 1. Avoid when client has alterations in GI function, reduced motility, and surgical resection of GI tract
• 2. Some clients cannot swallow (i.e., coma clients, confused)
• 3.Gastric secretions destroy some medications
• 4. Some medications can irritate lining of GI tract, discolor teeth, or taste bad
• 5. NPO for surgery or some testing

• 1. Provides means of admin when oral meds are contraindicated
• 2. More rapid absorption than oral or topical
• 3. Provides delivery when client is critically ill or long term therapy is necessary

• 1.Risk of infection
• 2. Pain with repeated needle sticks
• 3.SubQ, IM, and ID routes avoided in clients with bleeding tendencies
• 4. Risk of tissue damage with SubQ
• 5. IM and IV have higher absorption rates, placing client at higher risk for reactions
• 6. Often cause anxiety

• 1. Primarily provides local effect
• 2. Painless
• 3. Limited side effects

• 1.Clients with skin abrations are at risk for rapid medication absorption and systmic effects
• 2.Medications slowly absorbed through the skin

1. Prolonged systemic effects with limited side effects

1. Leaves oily or pasty substance and sometimes soils clothing

• 1. Therapeutic effects provided by local application to invloved sites.
• 2. Aqueous solutions readily absorbed and capable of causing systemic effects
• 3. Potential route of administration when oral medications are contraindicated.

• 1. Muscous membranes are highly sensitive to some medication concentrations
• 2. Client with ruptured eardrum cannot receive irrigations
• 3. Insertion of rectal and vaginal medication often causes embarrassment
• 4. Rectal suppositories contraindicated if client has had rectal surgery or if active rectal bleeding is present.

• 1. Provides rapid relief for local respiratory problems
• 2. Used for introduction of general anesthetic gases

1. Some local agents cause serious systemic effects.

Placed under the tongue to dissolve. Cannot drink anything until medication is competely dissolved. Do not chew medication

Placing the solid medication in the mouth and against the mucous membranes of the cheek until the medication dissoves. Teach client to alternate cheeks with each dose. Do not chew or swallow medication. Do not take with liquid.

• involves injecting a medication into body tissues.
• Intradermal (ID)
• Subcutaneous (Sub-Q)
• Intramuscular (IM)
• Intravenous (IV)

Injection into the dermis just under the epidermis

Injection into tissues just below the dermis of the skin

Injection into the muscle

Injection into the vein