Injecting insulin is one of the many tasks a nurse will perform on her everyday duty at the healthcare institution. Some nurses fear doing this thinking they may do this at the wrong spot.
For nurses who are first-timerS to do this, it may be scary. But there are some tips a nurse may follow to avoid this.
- Nurses must aim to inject insulin into the fatty tissue underneath the skin.
- Remove air bubbles in the syringe as this can reduce the amount of insulin to be injected.
- Mix two types of insulin in one syringe only if you are told to do so. Nurses should do it in the right draw order.
- The perfect site for injecting insulin in the arm is into the fatty tissue found at the back of the arm, between the shoulder and elbow.
- Nurses must never inject into scar tissue or areas that have broken vessels or varicose veins to avoid interference with the absorption of insulin.
- To inject into the abdomen, nurses should make it at least two inches away from the belly button or not at previous scars from the same procedure.
- The hip or the wallet area is the spot to inject and not the lower buttock area.
- Make sure to hold the syringe for at least 10 seconds before pulling so not too much insulin may escape.
- The best area to inject in the thigh is at the top and outer area, and not in the inner thigh so nurses don’t hit any blood vessels or nerves present in this part.
- To speed up the absorption, the nurse may either massage or exercise the injection site shortly after.
