Establishing best practice guidelines for administration of intra muscular injections in the adult: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

This article describes best practice guidelines for the administration of intramuscular injections developed after the identification of 300 abstracts and a review of 150 articles on the subject area. While the administration of medication via the intramuscular route is a daily occurrence for nurses working in both hospitals and community settings, several concerns and complications have been identified with the procedure. Routinely, nurses are required to make numerous decisions regarding factors such as needle size, length and the site to be used during the administration of medication into muscle tissue. Therefore, it is important that relevant up-to-date guidelines are available to assist nurses to make informed decisions about the technique to use. Techniques delivering medication to the correct site will facilitate efficacious outcomes for the client and ensure the delivery of quality nursing care in all health care settings.