In the treatment of a child, situations may arise when the drug needs to be administered intramuscularly, and the parents' ability to do this on their own saves time and effort. Sometimes, knowing how to inject correctly can save a life at the right time.
You can always find a professional nurse or take your child to the hospital, but sometimes it would take all day, especially if you need to give injections 2-3 times a day. It should be remembered that injections are made not only in the buttocks - depending on the prescribed drugs and the purpose of treatment, there are intravenous, intramuscular and subcutaneous types of infusion. Medicines are injected subcutaneously in cases where there is no need to achieve an immediate effect or the action of the drug is necessary for a long time. Most of the vaccinations are done subcutaneously. For instant effects, the drug is administered intravenously. This type of injection is technically difficult and requires compliance with all the rules, therefore, to install droppers and intravenous infusions, they most often turn to health workers.
Most injections are done intramuscularly, there are several favorable places for this - the buttock, thigh, shoulder, preference is given to the buttocks. For the correct injection, you need to know exactly where to inject and follow the prescribed sequence of actions. Having acquired the prescribed drug in the required dosage, cotton wool and medical alcohol, special attention is paid to the choice of syringes. Disposable syringes must be of the required capacity; for children, either the thinnest needle or special children's syringes are taken.
The thinner the needle, the less effort is made for the injection and the more painless it is tolerated.
Before the injection, wash your hands thoroughly with soap or disinfectant, you can wipe it with rubbing alcohol. When an injection is made in the gluteus muscle, each buttock is conventionally divided into 4 equal parts. The injection is made in the upper right quarter, with repeated holding, the buttocks must be alternated. You need to keep calm, the movements should be smooth and confident, it depends on this how easily the needle enters the muscle. The liquid preparation in the ampoule is opened by cutting the opening place with a special nail file. A disposable syringe is opened, connected to a needle, and the medicine is taken. Dry preparations (found among antibiotics) are diluted with water for injection or lidocaine, following the doctor's recommendations. The syringe with the collected medicine is turned with the needle up and lightly tapped on it so that all air bubbles rise up. Slightly move the piston, expelling the air outward, until a drop of medicine appears in the hole. It must be removed by wiping the needle with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
The buttock intended for the injection is massaged with soft or patting movements. Hands should not cause tension in the muscles being massaged, they should be warmed. The injection site of the needle is wiped with cotton wool soaked in alcohol. With the free hand, the skin at the injection site is collected in a fold, the needle is inserted with a hand with a syringe at an angle of 90 °, with a sharp movement, to a depth of 3/4 of the entire length of the needle. The thumb is placed on the plunger, the syringe is fixed in the hand with the index and middle fingers, and the medicine is injected. After complete introduction, the place of entry of the needle is pressed lightly with cotton soaked in alcohol, the needle is quickly removed and the remaining hole is pressed, massaging for several seconds.
Syringes cannot be used for injection again; before disposal, the needle must be closed with a cap.
All these manipulations should not be carried out in front of a child of a conscious age, all the more to show him your fear, apprehension and insecurity. If a child is nervous, cries and is afraid, do not scold and shame him - it is better to try to distract him, for example, by turning on a cartoon. It is also not worth deceiving the child with the words that there will be no pain, especially if you do not know whether the injection is painful. In no case should you frighten with injections, it is better to praise the child for his courage and patience.
