There are different ways which medication can be administrated, some methods can only be administrated by a person who has had special training, to help reduce the risk of harm it could cause on an individual. Show
The majority of medicines that are prescribed are administered orally. It is important that oral medication comes in different forms as people can be unable to swallow tablets. Swallowing liquid can be easier for some people, especially for children and elderly people having the option to have oral medication in a liquid form will be easier for them. Oral medication includes:
For people who have difficulty with respiratory issues they will often inhale medication. This will be people that have asthma and inhaling means that the medicine will be able to get to the area of the body where it is most needed quicker than swallowing medication. Things such as inhalers and nebulisers ensure that the medicine goes straight to the lungs and will work immediately.
Instillation is in the form of liquid and enters the body via the eyes, nose or ears. Ear drops can be used to clear up build up of wax, eye drops are used for eye infections and for people that have allergies such as hay fever can use sprays that are administrated via the nose. However, these methods of administration may need to be carried out by specially trained staff.
Administering medication can take place through an injection. This is so that medication goes straight into the blood stream. Injected medication has a risk of infection so specialist needles and sharps training should be undertaken by people working in care that give people injections. There are three types of injection.
This injection goes into a large muscle such as the thigh or buttock, only trained medical professionals such as doctors and nurses can administer the injection via this method.
The injection goes straight to the vein and is absorbed through the body quickly.
This injection goes beneath the individual’s skin, someone that has type 1 diabetes will need to have insulin injected into them, care workers have to have specialist training and they have to get permission from the individual.
This is also know as a ‘patch’ and allows medicine to be absorbed into the blood stream via the skin over a long period of time, as it is slow-releasing. Most common transdermal medication are Hormone Replace Therapy (HTR) and fentanyl patches. These are used for individuals who are in severe pain or cannot take pain medication in any other method.
Medication that is administered rectally will work very quickly. A type of medication that is administered rectally are called suppositories, they have a substance around them such as gelatine and as the warmth of the body melts that away so the medication slowly releases. Only staff that are specially trained can administer medication via this method.
If someone has a condition relating to the vagina, like thrush, then administration via the vagina will be used. This way of administrating will only be needed with conditions that relate to the vagina. Specially trained staff are only allowed to administrate medication.
Every health care setting must have a strict policy which needs to be written in line with legislation. It should include how medication should be stored safely, this means that it will remain fit for purpose and isn’t accessible by people that will not use it for its intended purpose. It is important that care workers should be familiar with all polices that relate to storing medication, this means they will know how to do it correctly. For people that take their own medication, consideration should be given and how easy it is for them to access the medication that they need and if anything needs changing. Medication must remain below 25 degrees Celsius, this is in line with the manufacture recommendations and makes sure that medication isn’t compromised. For people who store their medication at home, the kitchen and bathroom should be avoided as this is where steam is more likely, this can also compromise the medication and cause it not to work properly. For carers that go to peoples homes they should inform them about how they should move their medication to a more ideal place.
When medication is no longer required it must be disposed of as soon as possible. There should be a member of staff that is designated to check the medicine stocks on a monthly basis, as this is in line with the legislation. Needles and sharps need to be placed in a sharps bin and disposed of by the local authority. Liquid waste should be disposed of in a specialist bin, they should never be put down the toilet or sinks. Transdermal patches must be folded in half before being disposed as this renders them ineffective.
It is important to provide dignity and privacy when administering medication. This helps to make the patient feel comfortable, especially if administering medication means the patient having to take some of their clothes off, or having medication administered rectally or vaginally.
Although LFA Tablet Presses specializes in Pill Presses and Tableting Equipment we understand that there are other methods of drug delivery. In this article we outline the more common means of administering pharmaceuticals and what your business needs to know in terms of the packaging and delivery of the drugs. The method selected for administering drugs to a patient is dependent on the drug’s chemical and physical properties as well as the response desired and the patient’s demographics. Fundamentally drugs can be administered orally (by mouth), parenterally (by injection) or topically (by absorption through the skin). In some cases inhalation may be preferred to oral or parenteral administration and in recent years more drugs have been introduced that are administered by mucoadhesion. All of these forms of administration require different formulations of the pharmaceutical products. OralOral administration of medication is the most common method; it is the most convenient and safest way to give medicine. Administration is in the form of tablet, capsule, emulsion, mixture or as a gel. The body absorbs many of the oral drugs in the market today once they reach the small intestine; some medicines are absorbed from the colon and stomach area. Whilst oral administration is common, there are some medicines that cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and other methods may be preferred, as detailed below. Drugs that are administered orally tend to have a slow onset, and release of drug into the body fluids may be prolonged, with less potent effects compared with drugs administered parenterally. Tablets for oral administration can also be placed under the tongue (sublingual) where the drug remains until it is dissolved completely by the saliva and is absorbed by the tissues. Medicines administered by the sublingual method are fast acting as the tissues under the tongue are a rich capillary network of blood vessels, enabling fast absorption of the drug. The sublingual method is also beneficial in that it helps prevent drugs from becoming destroyed by stomach acid, or by hepatic inactivation. In other words, sublingual drugs are absorbed into the circulatory system without having to pass through the gastrointestinal tract or the liver. ParenteralParenteral drugs are administered through the patient’s subcutaneous or intramuscular glands. This method is preferred when the drug is poorly absorbed internally by the body or when it is deactivated by enzymes as it passes through the digestive tract. Parenteral administration is also offered when the patient cannot tolerate any oral medication but needs the medication to take effect quickly. To administer the medicine, the health care provider will use a needle or syringe or an intravenous infusion set.
InhalationMedicines can be introduced into the body by inhalation. There are two classes of substances that are commonly administered by inhaling – volatile and non-volatile.
TopicalTopical medicines are those that are absorbed by the skin. As the skin or dermis is permeable to different liquids, drugs can be easily absorbed by topical application. Other medication can be applied to the skin include liniments, gels, creams, ointments and lotions. RectalSome drugs are designed to be administered through the patient’s rectum. This method is practised if the drug is unpalatable or too large to be administered orally, or when the stomach is non-retentive due to vomiting. MucosalMucosal administration or mucoadhesion, refers to the application of drugs through the mucosal glands in the body including those in the mouth, nose, throat, vagina and rectum. Mucus membranes (mucosae) are the moist surfaces lining the walls of various body cavities including the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. They consist of a connective tissue layer (the lamina propria) above which is an epithelial layer, the surface of which is made moist usually by the presence of a layer of mucus. The epithelia may be either single layered (e.g. the stomach, small and large intestines and bronchi) or multilayered/stratified (e.g. in the esophagus, vagina and cornea). Mucus is present either as a gel layer adherent to the mucosal surface or as a luminal soluble or suspended form. The major components of all mucus gels are mucin glycoproteins, lipids, inorganic salts and water, the latter accounting for more than 95% of their weight, making them a highly hydrated system. The major functions of mucus are that of protection and lubrication. The concept of mucoadhesion has gained considerable interest in pharmaceutical technology since the early 1980s. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems interact with the mucus layer covering the mucosal epithelial surface, and mucin molecules and increase the residence time of the dosage form at the site of absorption. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems prolong the residence time of the dosage form at the site of application or absorption. They facilitate an intimate contact of the dosage form with the underlying absorption surface and thus improve the therapeutic performance of the drug. In recent years, many such mucoadhesive drug delivery systems have been developed for oral, buccal, nasal, rectal and vaginal routes for both systemic and local effects. Dosages maybe applied in the form of aerosols, nasal sprays, lozenges, tablets and suppositories. |