Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Assistance with injectable medications: Implementation of a pharmacist-run specialty pharmacy injection clinic
Objective:
The goal of this pilot study was to measure patient satisfaction, pain scores associated with injection, and patient perceptions of a pharmacist-led specialty injection clinic.
Setting:
The Medical University of South Carolina Specialty Pharmacy.
Practice Description:
The specialty pharmacy comprises decentralized clinical pharmacy specialists who provide medication education to patients via phone. Many of the medications dispensed are self-administered injectables, but patients often request in-person assistance to learn the best way to use the drug. The investigators sought to provide an avenue for patients to receive teaching and drug administration from a pharmacist without scheduling a formal nurse visit or enrolling the patients in a manufacturer program.
Practice Innovation:
Clinical pharmacy specialists offered every patient a referral to the Assistance with Injectable Medication clinic for in-person injection teaching during the initial clinical assessment. At the first clinic visit, the patients were provided with printed injection instructions, and a demo injector from the manufacturer was available for practice before the actual drug administration.
Evaluation:
This was a prospective pilot study conducted from January 2019 to April 2019. Patient identification occurred directly through our clinical pharmacy specialists via referrals and informational flyers. The eligible patients were aged 18 years or older and had received a qualifying subcutaneous injection via the Medical University of South Carolina Specialty Pharmacy. The outcomes included pain score and patient satisfaction.
Results:
As of April 30, 2019, 17 patients had completed 24 clinic visits. The average reported pain and satisfaction scores (scale 0-10) were 2.5 and 9.6, respectively. The 2 most commonly administered medications in the clinic were alirocumab and adalimumab.
Conclusion:
A clinic to assist with specialty injectable medications resulted in high patient satisfaction scores and low pain scores associated with injection.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route
There are three primary parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC). The IV route introduces the drug directly into the bloodstream, ensuring immediate action. The IM route...
01:22Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...
01:21Drug Accumulation During Multiple Dosing: Repetitive IV Injections
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:25Routes of Drug Administration: Parenteral
The intravenous route (IV) of drug administration can be further categorized into two types. The bolus injection administers the entire dose rapidly, while an intravenous infusion slowly delivers smaller doses steadily.
The IV route is often...
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...