Answer to Question #182936 in Microbiology for Maysa Almansor

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?

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 (a device that consists of two bags; one containing water, inside a bag containing ammonium nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate or urea) to the injection site for a few minutes before the injection. Some studies suggest 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, and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).