Hi i’m dr. andy thompson today we’re going to teach you how to perform an injection under the skin this is also known as a subcutaneous injection or subcu injection but first there’s an important concept about these injections you need to understand when you take a tablet the small blood vessels in the stomach and bowel absorb the medication a subcutaneous injection
Leaves a small amount of medication under the skin now just like in the stomach the small blood vessels absorb the medicine but this time they’re in the skin so you can be assured that you aren’t injecting the medicine straight into the blood today we’ll be demonstrating using a syringe that has been prefilled in medicine now many injectable medications come and
Prefilled syringes each syringe might look a little different but they’re all basically the same each prefilled syringe has four basic parts a needle cap a needle a barrel which contains the medicine and a plunger ok let’s get on with the injection we’re going to teach you how to inject using four basic steps step 1 gather your supplies step 2 choose an injection
Site step 3 inject the medication and step 4 dispose of the syringe step 1 gather your supplies at room infocomm we’ve prepared a special injection placemat this will help to make sure you’ve got all of the necessary supplies place your injection mat on a clean table or surface you’ll need your prefilled syringe but it’s been in the refrigerator it’s a good idea to
Let it warm up for about 30 minutes if you’re not sure talk to your doctor or pharmacist you’ll also need a clean gauze or tissue and finally a puncture proof sharps container to dispose of the unused syringe if you’re missing any of the supplies talk to your local pharmacist step 2 choosing and preparing an injection site it’s important to start by washing your
Hands thoroughly with soap and water a subcutaneous injection can be given in any of the places shown on this diagram the thigh the abdomen or the upper arm it’s best to choose a different site for each injection at least an inch away from a previous injection now you can easily inject in your abdomen or thighs but you’ll probably need help from another person if
You want to inject in your upper arms it’s a good idea to rotate your injection sites for example this week you might place the injection into your thigh and next week into your abdomen you can also use the upper arms if someone else is helping you with the injection if you’re injecting into your abdomen stay away from the two inches around your belly button don’t
Inject into an area that is tender bruised red hard or one that has scars or stretch marks step 3 injecting the medicine remove the needle cap from the syringe don’t touch the needle or allow to touch anything else pinch a fold of skin at the injection site gently insert the needle at a 45-degree angle under the skin release the skin and slowly inject the medicine
When the syringe is empty remove the needle apply pressure with a cotton gauze or tissue for about 10 seconds it’s normal to see a tiny drop of blood step 4 disposing of the syringe it’s important to dispose of used sharp syringes in a proper container these containers can be found at your local pharmacy they’re often referred to as sharps containers don’t ever put
The needle cap back on the needle as you or someone else may accidentally poke themselves with the needle simply take the used needle and place it in the sharps container store the container in a safe place out of reach of small children when the container is two-thirds full take the lid closed and scared of it as instructed by your local pharmacist and that’s it
Giving a small injection under the skin is really just that easy if you have any questions or concerns please talk to your doctor or your nurse thank you for watching and we hope you found this video to be useful for more information please visit our website wwlp.com
Transcribed from video
How to Give a Subcutaneous Injection using a Pre-filled Syringe By RheumInfo