Answer to Question #158251 in Microbiology for TiMyria Camper

Question

Jessica was in the hospital for an extended period with a severe respiratory infection. During that period she received multiple IM injections and was discharged with orders to continue the injections daily until the doctor advised her to discontinue them. The nursing staff had been injecting the medication into the gluteal area, but this area was becoming sore from all of the prior injections. What options might she use for the future to avoid pain in the area of the injections?

Student 

Answer 1

Apply cold pack to the injection site

Multiple IM injections into the same muscle cause swelling and discomfort. To deal with the swelling and pain, you can Apply cold pack to the injection site for a few minutes before the injection. Some studies suggest that that cold pack application prior to the intramuscular injection can reduce the pain. Medicine can also be used to reduce the pain and inflammation such as paracetamol, NSAID

N/B

An instant cold pack is a device that consists of two bags; one containing water, inside a bag containing ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate or urea. When the inner bag of water is broken by squeezing the package, it dissolves the solid in an endothermic reaction.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are members of a drug class that reduces pain, decreases fever, prevents blood clots, and in higher doses, decreases inflammation.