- Don’t use a light, feathery touch when administrating medication to an
area that is pruritic (itchy) because this makes the itch worse.
INSTILLATION ROUTE
Instillations are liquid medications that are administered to the eyes and ears as
drops, ointment, or sprays. You’ll need to take special precautions when admin-
istering an instillation to prevent spreading the disease.
Here’s what you need to do to administer installations in the eye:
- Check the prescriber’s order.
- Wash hands and then apply clean gloves. You don’t need sterile gloves.
- Position the patient so that the patient is looking toward the ceiling.
- Gently pull down the skin below the infected eye to expose the conjunc-
tival sac. - If eye drops,
° Administer the prescribed number of drops into the center of the con-
junctival sac.
° Don’t touch the eyelids or the eye lashes with the dropper.
° Release the skin and gently press the lacrimal duct (inner corner of
the eye) with sterile cotton balls or tissues for 1–2 minutes. This prevents
the systemic absorption of the medication through the lacrimal canal. - If eye ointment,
° Squeeze about a half-inch of ointment onto the conjunctival sac.
° Tell the patient that he or she might experience blurred vision
temporarily. - Instruct the patient to keep his or her eyes closed for 1–2 minutes.
- Avoid placing medication on the cornea since this can cause discomfort
and possibly damage the cornea.
Here’s what you need to do to administer eardrops:- Check the prescriber’s order.
- Wash hands and then apply clean gloves.
- Make sure the medication is at room temperature.
- Position the patient so his or her head is tilted slightly toward the unaf-
fected side. - Straighten the external ear canal by pulling the auricle up and back for a
patient who is 3 years of age and older and down and back for a patient
under three years of age. (Hint: Children are shorter than adults, so you
pull down.)
CHAPTER 6 Route of Administration^101