FREE STUDY · 5 MIN LESSON
Routes & Techniques: Getting Medicine Where It Needs to Go
Read the lesson, then use the free narrated cards to check what you remember. Knowledge practice does not replace approved training, supervised practice or a competency assessment. Follow the rules for your role, state and workplace.
What do common medication routes mean, and who may administer them?
- Oral means by mouth; sublingual means under the tongue; buccal means between cheek and gum; topical means on a surface; transdermal delivers medicine through skin.
- Eye, ear, nasal and inhaled products have their own directions.
- Which routes an aide may administer depends on state, setting, training and authorization.
May every medication aide give insulin injections?
- Do not give an injection unless the law, setting, validated training and required delegation authorize you to do so.
- Rules differ: NC adult-care training includes optional insulin-injection skills validated by an RN.
- That example is not permission in another state or setting.
What must you check before crushing, splitting or opening a medicine?
- Do not crush, split or open a product without checking its specific instructions and obtaining required clarification.
- Enteric coatings delay release; extended-release products control release over time.
- Altering them can change the dose delivery.
- Ask the pharmacist or designated nurse about an appropriate form for swallowing difficulty.
How do you give an eye drop (ophthalmic route) correctly?
- For authorized eye-drop administration, clean your hands, follow the order and product directions, gently form a pocket in the lower lid and place the drop there.
- Keep the tip from touching the eye, skin or other surfaces.
- Use gloves when exposure or the procedure requires them.
How do you pull the ear (pinna) when giving ear drops — adult vs. young child?
- Follow the prescribed ear-drop directions.
- To straighten the canal, gently pull the outer ear up and back for an adult; for a child younger than three, pull down and back.
- Avoid touching the dropper tip to the ear or other surfaces.
What are the key steps for a transdermal patch and a sublingual tablet?
- For a prescribed replacement patch, check for and remove the old patch as directed, use the instructed site and rotate sites when specified.
- Record application and removal; follow the product’s disposal instructions.
- For a sublingual tablet, place it under the tongue and let it dissolve as directed rather than swallowing or chewing it.
How do milligrams and milliliters differ?
- Milligrams measure the amount of medicine by mass; milliliters measure liquid volume.
- They are not interchangeable.
- Use the product concentration and the verified dose instructions to determine the required volume, and clarify mismatched units before preparation.
How should you measure a liquid medicine accurately?
- Use a calibrated medicine device suited to the prescribed volume.
- For a medicine cup, place it on a flat surface and read at eye level.
- Use the appropriate oral syringe for small amounts under the approved procedure.
- Never use a household spoon or estimate a partial cup.
What does 20 mg in 5 mL tell you?
- It describes concentration: each 5 mL contains 20 mg.
- In a calculation exercise, 15 mL contains three times that amount, or 60 mg.
- A calculation is not permission to change a dose; follow verified administration directions and resolve any mismatch.
How do you check a prescribed liquid volume in a learning example?
- If a verified exercise order is 40 mg and the product contains 20 mg in 5 mL, two groups of 20 mg are needed: 10 mL.
- Check the units, concentration and prescribed dose.
- In practice, use the authorized calculation and checking process.
How do decimal zeros affect medication safety?
- Use a leading zero for a value below one, such as 0.5 mg.
- Avoid an unnecessary trailing zero, such as 5.0 mg, because a missed decimal may cause a tenfold error.
- Clarify an unclear order rather than assuming its intended dose.
How do solutions, suspensions, tablets and semisolid products differ?
- A solution contains dissolved medicine.
- A suspension contains particles dispersed in liquid and needs the label’s mixing instructions.
- Tablets and capsules are solid forms; creams and ointments are semisolid forms.
- Form and route are part of the order and are not interchangeable without authorization.
Why do some inhaled corticosteroids require mouth rinsing?
- Follow the exact inhaler instructions.
- Fluticasone inhalation labeling directs rinsing the mouth with water and spitting it out after use to reduce the risk of oral fungal infection.
- Do not swallow the rinse water or treat rinsing as a guarantee against infection.