Injections: Routes of Administration, Adverse Effects, and Nurses’ Responsibilities

Year : 2026 | Volume : 16 | 03 | Page :
By

Irshada Akhter,

Raj Kumar Chaudhary,

  1. Research Scholar, Department of Nursing, Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, India
  2. Professor, Department of Nursing, Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, India

Abstract

An injection is the process of employing a device under pressure to force a liquid, gas, or substance into a person, area, or system. In everyday usage, it most frequently refers to using a syringe and needle to inject medication or vaccinations into the body. In order to avoid the digestive system, an injection—often referred to as a “shot” or “jab”—delivers nutrition or fluid drugs straight into the body.

Keywords: Injections, Parenteral Administration, Routes of Injection, Adverse Effects, Nurses’ Responsibilities

How to cite this article: Irshada Akhter, Raj Kumar Chaudhary. Injections: Routes of Administration, Adverse Effects, and Nurses’ Responsibilities. Journal of Nursing Science & Practice. 2026; 16(03):-.
How to cite this URL: Irshada Akhter, Raj Kumar Chaudhary. Injections: Routes of Administration, Adverse Effects, and Nurses’ Responsibilities. Journal of Nursing Science & Practice. 2026; 16(03):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jonsp/article=2026/view=255926

References

  1. Wikipedia. Injection (medicine). Wikipedia. Available from: Wikipedia

  2. Wikipedia. Injection (medicine). Wikipedia. Available from: Wikipedia

  3. Vinmec. Possible complications with intramuscular injection. Available from: Vinmec

  4. American College of Emergency Physicians; ABIM Foundation. Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question. Choosing Wisely. Archived March 7, 2014; retrieved January 24, 2014.

  5. Hartling L, Bellemare S, Wiebe N, Russell K, Klassen TP, Craig W. Oral versus intravenous rehydration for treating dehydration due to gastroenteritis in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006;(3):CD004390. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004390.pub2. PMID: 16856044. PMCID: PMC6532593.

  6. Griffith RJ, Dalziel SR, Jordan V, Herd D, Reed PW. Vapocoolants (cold spray) for pain treatment during intravenous cannulation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016;(4):CD009484. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009484.pub2. PMID: 27113639. PMCID: PMC8666144.

  7. Heng SY, McGrouther DA, Yap RT, Tie J. Peripheral vein thrombophlebitis in the upper extremity: a systematic review of a frequent and important problem. The American Journal of Medicine. 2020;133(4):473–484.e3. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2019.08.054. PMID: 31606488.

  8. Bruniera FR, Ferreira FM, Saviolli LR, Bacci MR, Feder D, da Luz Gonçalves Pedreira M, Sorgini Peterlini MA, Azzalis LA, Campos Junqueira VB, Fonseca FL. The use of vancomycin with its therapeutic and adverse effects: a review. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2015;19(4):694–700. PMID: 25753888.

  9. Webster J, Marsh N, Rickard CM, Osborne S. Clinically indicated replacement versus routine replacement of peripheral venous catheters. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019;1:CD007798. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007798.pub5. PMID: 30671926. PMCID: PMC6353131.

  10. O’Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, Dellinger EP, Garland J, Heard SO, Lipsett PA, Masur H, Mermel LA, Pearson ML, Raad II, Randolph AG, Rupp ME, Saint S. Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2011;52(9):e162–e193. doi:10.1093/cid/cir257. PMID: 21460264. PMCID: PMC3106269.

  11. Jaffe RB. Cardiac and vascular involvement in drug abuse. Roentgenology Seminar. 1983;18(3):207–212. doi:10.1016/0037-198X(83)90024-X. PMID: 6137064.

  12. Zhang J, Lv L. A meta-analysis of the incidence of infusion phlebitis with peripheral intravenous catheters. Journal of Vascular Access. 2020;21(3):342–349. doi:10.1177/1129729819877323. PMID: 31547791.

  13. Mihala G, Ray-Barruel G, Chopra V, Webster J, Wallis M, Marsh N, McGrail M, Rickard CM. Phlebitis signs and symptoms with peripheral intravenous catheters: incidence and correlation study. Journal of Infusion Nursing. 2018;41(4):260–263. doi:10.1097/NAN.0000000000000288. PMID: 29958263.

  14. Reynolds PM, MacLaren R, Mueller SW, Fish DN, Kiser TH. Management of extravasation injuries: a focused evaluation of noncytotoxic medications. Pharmacotherapy. 2014;34(6):617–632. doi:10.1002/phar.1396. PMID: 24420913.

  15. Schwamburger NT, Vandewalle KS, Hancock RH, Chong CH, Hartup GR. The rate of adverse events during IV conscious sedation. General Dentistry. 2012;60(5):e341–e344. PMID: 23032244.

  16. Hadaway L. Infiltration and extravasation. American Journal of Nursing. 2007;107(8):64–72. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000282299.03441.c7. PMID: 17667395.

  17. Campbell G, Warttig S, Alderson P, Smith AF. Warming of intravenous and irrigation fluids for preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015;(4).

  18. Nahm FS, Lee PB, Park SY, Kim YC, Lee SC, Shin HY, Lee CJ. Adult intramuscular vaccination injection pain. Revista Médica de Chile. 2012;140(2):192–197.

  19. Mansoor F, Hamid S, Mir T, Abdul Hafiz R, Mounts A. Traumatic injection neuropathy in Pakistani children. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 2005;11(4):798–804.

  20. Soliman E, Ranjan S, Xu T, Gee C, Harker A, Barrera A, Geddes J. An account of the effectiveness of intramuscular gluteal injections and their influence on psychiatry. [Journal details as supplied]. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009891.pub2. PMID: 25866139. PMCID: PMC6769178.

  21. Köztürk D, Karadag A, Eyikara E, Baykara ZG. A semi-experimental study examining how students’ perceptions of post-injection discomfort were affected by applying physical pressure prior to intramuscular injections. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2017;26(11–12):1632–1638.

  22. Shaw H. Intramuscular injection. Nursing Standard. 2015;30(6):61–62.

  23. Nicoll LH, Hesby A. Intramuscular injection: an integrative research review and guidelines for evidence-based practice. Applied Nursing Research. 2002;15(3):149–162.

  24. Yildirim D, Dincer B. A single-blind, randomized controlled trial examining the impact of vibration stimulation on intramuscular injection discomfort and patient satisfaction. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2021;30(11–12):1615–1622.

  25. Kara D, Yapucu Güneş Ü. A randomized controlled trial examining the impact of three different intramuscular injection techniques on pain. International Journal of Nursing Practice. 2016;22(2):152–159.

  26. Whitney FW, Mitchell JR. How intramuscular injection pain is perceived in relation to injection speed: a clinical update. AAOHN Journal. 2001;49(6):286–292.

  27. Taddio A, Ilersich AL, Ipp M, Kikuta A, Shah V; HELPinKIDS Team. A systematic review of randomized controlled and quasi-randomized controlled trials of strategies for reducing injection pain during routine childhood immunization. Clinical Therapeutics. 2009;31(Suppl 2):S48–S76.

  28. Hall LM, Ediriweera Y, Banks J, Nambiar A, Heal C. Cooling to lessen vaccination-related pain: a systematic review. Vaccination. [Publication details as supplied].

  29. Ayinde O, Hayward RS, Ross JDC. A systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of intramuscular injection technique on injection-related pain. PLoS ONE. 2021;16(5):e0250883.

  30. Yorulubulut SM, Demirtaş A, Başak T. A randomized controlled experiment using virtual reality and distraction cards to lessen discomfort during an intramuscular benzathine penicillin injection procedure in adults. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2021;77(5):2511–2518.

  31. Akmen AS, Canbulat Şahiner N. The impact of distraction cards in reducing children’s pain and anxiety during intramuscular injections. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2019;16(3):230–235.

  32. Donaldson C, Green J. Intramuscular injections using the ventrogluteal site. Nursing Times. 2005;101(16):36–38.

  33. Small SP. A review of the literature on preventing sciatic nerve injury from intramuscular injections. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2004;47(3):287–296.

  34. Shoemaker S. Vaccine administration-related shoulder injury prevention. American Journal of Nursing. 2021;121(6):45–47.

  35. Nakajima Y, Mukai K, Takaoka K, Hirose T, Morishita K, Yamamoto T, Yoshida Y, Urai T, Nakatani T. Creating a fresh, suitable intramuscular injection site in the deltoid muscle. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2017;13(9):2123–2129.

  36. Sisson H. Aspirating during the intramuscular injection procedure: a systematic literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2015;24(17–18):2368–2375.

  37. Rishovd A. Best practices for pediatric intramuscular injections. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. 2014;39(2):107–112.

  38. Sepah Y, Samad L, Altaf A, Halim MS, Rajagopalan N, Javed Khan A. Aspiration in injections: should we keep doing it or stop? F1000Research. 2014;3:157.

  39. Sahebkar M, Khosrojerdi A, Rad M, Stewart JJ, Rastaghi S, Assarroudi A. Evaluation of the impact of choosing gluteal injection location on injection pain based on anthropometric indices and body shape pattern: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2021;30(11–12):1556–1563.

  40. Cook IF. Best vaccination practices and medically attended injection-site events following deltoid intramuscular injection. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2015;11(5):1184–1191.

  41. Herraiz-Adillo Á, Pozuelo-Carrascosa DP, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Should the argument about aspiration prior to intramuscular vaccination administration go on? Clinical Nursing Research / Enfermería Clínica. 2022;32(1):65–66.

  42. Thomas CM, Mraz M, Rajcan L. Blood aspiration during intramuscular injection. Clinical Nursing Research. 2016;25(5):549–559.

  43. Yazıcı ZA, Erkoç Hut A. A pilot study on the risk of glass particle exposure in nursing practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2021;77(7):3189–3191.

  44. Chiannilkulchai N, Kejkornkaew S. Glass particle contamination safety concerns: enhancing conventional protocols for administering medicines. International Journal for Quality in Health Care. 2021;33(2).

  45. Preston ST, Hegadoren K. Glass contamination in drugs given intravenously. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2004;48(3):266–270.

  46. British Columbia Campus. Intradermal injections. Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care. Available from: Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care

  47. Dr.Oracle. What are the common side effects of intradermal injections? Available from: Dr.Oracle

  48. Guidelines for controlling and preventing influenza in children, 2011–2012. Pediatrics. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  49. Investigating injection sites using biological agents. Dermatology Therapy. 2019. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  50. Identifying, preventing, and managing side effects associated with injectable poly-L-lactic acid for facial and non-facial volumization. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (JDD). 2014. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  51. Dermal filler complications and treatment. Handchirurgie Mikrochirurgie Plastische Chirurgie. 2006. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  52. Paris Medical Insights. Guide to local anesthetic injection methods. 2025.

  53. Paris Medical Insights. Guide to injection-site reactions with biological medications. 2025.

  54. Examine the side effects of collagen fillers. Plastic Surgery of the Face (FPS). 2014. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  55. Cutaneous necrosis following intradermal injection of lyophilized exosomes: a case report and literature review. [Bibliographic details incomplete in supplied reference].

  56. Cutaneous necrosis following intradermal injection of lyophilized exosomes: a case report and review of the literature. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. [Year and bibliographic details require verification].

Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 16
03
Received 21/06/2026
Accepted 31/08/2026
Published 16/09/2026
Publication Time 87 Days

Login

My IP

PlumX Metrics

Support