Techniques Found in Administering Intragluteal Injection
This descriptive survey study was concerned with the problem of determining whether nurses were using an acceptable technique in giving intragluteal injections. With the increase of intramuscular injections the complications and injuries resulting from the intragluteal injections have increased. A review of literature disclosed a general agreement among authorities that damage to nerves and muscles in the administration of intragluteal injections could be minimized by careful selection of the injection site and the use of proper technique. Fifty registered nurses giving intragluteal injections in two general hospitals were observed, guided by a check list from the criteria recommended by Zelman. The findings indicated that the technique used varied in the following ways. None of the nurses positioned the patients to secure maximum relaxation with the prone and toe-in position. Eighty-four percent utilized the lateral position. Fourteen percent drew or palpated to locate the upper outer quadrant while 86 percent administered the injections in the site by the use of eye judgment alone. Most of the nurses did not make the muscle taut before injection and only 16 percent aspirated to see whether there was blood in the syringe before injection. Sixty percent of the nurses injected the solution rapidly. The majority of nurses utilized one and one half inch needles and administered the injection at a 90° angle. All nurses utilized aseptic technique and all except 8 percent massaged the injected area.
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