Steps on how to give medications the correct way for every way you can give them is the focus of this chapter on the web. You will learn the usual techniques of giving medications by mouth and injection and what to do if you need to give something down a tube or between the cheek and gum or any other way prescribed. You’ll also learn any special precautions you need to know and warnings about mixing medications or storage of equipment if there’s a risk.
Giving intravenous medications at home doesn’t happen often but is becoming more popular; therefore, much information is available on IV medication and total parental nutrition (TPN). However, TPN can be dangerous if given incorrectly. Most companies have a resource on call for these products for emergencies, call them first; however, if you cannot get to them, use this site as a backup.
Video Demonstrations of Medication Administration Techniques –YouTube Video Resources Knowing how to give medications correctly is essential knowledge for every caregiver. Most of us think we know all we need to know about giving medicine because we have been taking it all our lives, but when you start caregiving, you find that’s not true. As …
How is a Medication Dosage Determined? The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) determines the dosing of medication needed to treat a condition based on clinical research. After completing years of clinical trials which document patient outcomes and drug safety, the FDA approves a drug’s release for use by the public. The drug is approved only to …
What Is a Medication When the doctor asks you what medication you take, he needs a complete list. To help you not forget anything, first consider the form in which medicine might appear. Medicines come in all shapes and sizes so that you may have some in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, purse, etc. They …
Safe Medication Management Managing medication is all about knowing what, how, and when is the best way to take a medicine to have the best outcome. In addition, it’s important to understand why you’re taking medicine and what you should expect to happen when you take it. For example, many medications can act like poisons …
Parental Nutrition (TPN) Some medical conditions prevent the body from being able to absorb nutrition through the GI tract. When that happens, the body cannot function properly without Parental Nutrition (PN) due to the effects of starvation. With starvation, tissues begin to break down, wounds won’t heal, and the internal organs stop working properly. To …
Medication Administration Administering medications occurs through multiple routes of entry. A list of some of the routes of entry include: by way of the mouth (swallowed, through a tube into the stomach, under the tongue, held in the cheek), through injection into the muscle (intramuscularly), into the fat layer (subcutaneously), rectally (suppository, enema), into the …
Managing Venous Catheters Managing Venous Catheters at Home Caregivers frequently receive responsibility for managing venous catheters (IVs) at home a few days prior to patient discharge from the hospital. Whether the catheter enters the bloodstream from outside the body or internally using a long catheter that ends close to the heart, family caregivers receive training …
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