Medication Routes of Administration and Medical Abbreviations | Nursing NCLEX Review

This paragraph discusses various routes of medication administration, focusing on those involving the mouth. The primary route explained is the oral (PO) route, which is the administration of medication by the mouth, commonly used for tablets, capsules, and liquid medications. The sublingual (SL) route is also covered, where medication is placed under the tongue, as exemplified by the use of nitroglycerin tablets for acute chest pain. Additionally, the buccal route is introduced, where medication is placed between the cheek and gum, typically used for certain pain medications and smoking cessation products. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of using approved abbreviations to prevent medical errors and suggests writing out unclear abbreviations. The term NPO (nil per os) is also explained, meaning nothing by mouth, which is the opposite of the PO route.

This paragraph delves into medication administration routes that involve direct injection or delivery through the skin. The intravenous (IV) route is highlighted, where medication is delivered directly into a vein, usually through an IV access site on the arm. The paragraph also explains the IV piggyback (IVPB) method, used for administering medications like antibiotics via a secondary line connected to a main fluid line. Intravenous push (IVP) is another method discussed, where medication is injected directly into the IV access using a syringe. The paragraph then covers intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SUB-Q) routes, used for vaccines, certain antibiotics, hormone therapy, insulin, and anticoagulants. The intradermal (ID) route is introduced as less common, used for allergy tests and the Mantoux TB test. The paragraph also mentions transdermal (TD) delivery, where medication is applied to the skin's surface, such as fentanyl patches and nitroglycerin cream.