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Related Experiment Videos

Blood Aspiration During IM Injection.

Christine M Thomas1, Megan Mraz2, Lois Rajcan3

  • 1West Chester University, PA, USA cthomas@wcupa.edu.

Clinical Nursing Research
|March 19, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Most registered nurses (RNs) still aspirate during intramuscular (IM) injections, despite current guidelines. This practice, however, is often brief and occurs frequently in specific injection sites, leading to blood aspiration.

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Area of Science:

  • Nursing Practice
  • Injection Techniques
  • Patient Safety

Background:

  • Current guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do not recommend aspiration during intramuscular (IM) injections.
  • Aspiration is a technique sometimes used to check for blood return before administering IM medications.
  • Variations in injection techniques among healthcare professionals can impact patient safety and medication efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the current practices of registered nurses (RNs) regarding aspiration during IM injections.
  • To determine the incidence of blood aspiration among RNs performing IM injections.
  • To evaluate adherence to established guidelines for IM injection techniques.

Main Methods:

Keywords:
IM injectionaspirationblood aspiration

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  • A descriptive study design was employed.
  • A survey was administered to 164 registered nurses (RNs).
  • Data collected included details on aspiration techniques and frequency of blood aspiration.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant majority of RNs (74%) reported continuing to aspirate during IM injections at least 90% of the time.
    • Of those who aspirate, only 3% adhere to the recommended aspiration duration of 5 to 10 seconds.
    • Blood aspiration was reported by 40% of participants at least once, with 4% experiencing it 13 or more times, most commonly in the dorsal gluteal and deltoid sites.

    Conclusions:

    • Registered nurses frequently deviate from current recommendations by continuing to aspirate during IM injections.
    • The practice of aspiration is often performed incorrectly in terms of duration, and blood aspiration occurs with notable frequency.
    • RNs should adopt a decision-making process to determine the safest IM injection technique, considering medication properties and site-specific risks.