k. Remove Needle Guard or Cover. Pull the cover straight off, rather than
using a twisting motion or a sideward motion because you may bend the needle.
(1)
Avoid bending or touching the needle.
(2)
Place the needle cover on a clean, flat surface.
l. Stabilize Injection Site. Firm the tissue at the injection site with the hand
that is free by pinching the skin with the thumb and forefinger so that it is taut.
(1) The cushion of tissue formed by grasping the skin makes it easier to
inject the needle in exactly the right place.
(2)
The needle enters more easily into taut or firm skin than into loose skin.
(3) Help the patient relax his muscles by distracting his attention by asking a
question or having the patient do something like blow a breath out or look at an object
on the wall.
m. Insert Needle Into Patient at Site Selected for Injection. When inserting
the needle, remember the following guidelines:
(1) Hold the barrel of syringe firmly between the thumb and index finger of
the dominant hand (see figure 2-5).
Figure 2-5. Hold barrel of syringe between thumb and index finger.
(2) Move the needle tip to about one-half inch from the injection site, with
the bevel up, and position the needle at a 90-degree angle to the skin surface. (All
intramuscular injections are inserted at a 90-degree angle into the muscular layer below
the skin.)
MD0552
2-8