The aim of this one-group, quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of choice of injection site and injection duration on the intensity of pain associated with intramuscular penicillin injection. Injections containing the same dose of drug were administered 12 hours apart for each patient over 5 s/mL and 10 s/mL durations in the dorsogluteal and ventrogluteal sites. Sixty patients who had a medical order for intramuscular penicillin at least twice in a day and for two successive days at the same dose were included in the study. No difference in pain was perceived by participants between the two injection durations at either the dorsogluteal or the ventrogluteal site. This study showed that intramuscular penicillin can be administered to either site over 5 s/mL or 10 s/mL durations. There is a need for further research with a randomized controlled design in different settings and in a larger sample on the impact of choice of injection site and injection duration on pain intensity.

This descriptive, hospital-based study, performed in western Turkey, was designed to assess the level of pre-hospital delay and reasons for such delay in acute stroke patients, taking into consideration certain factors such as socioeconomic status, availability of transport options at onset of symptoms. Data were collected from hospital records, and a questionnaire was administered that included questions about socio-demographics, self-reported risk factors and questions related to hospital arrival. The rate of patients arriving at the hospital more than 3 hours after symptom onset was found to be 31.6% for this study. Approximately 1/3 of patients delayed going to the hospital because they were waiting for symptoms to go away while 1/3 of patients were not aware of the importance of seeking immediate medical help. There was a significant relationship between the use of ambulance transportation and length of time before arrival at the hospitals, though there was no statistically significantly relationship between the existence of stroke risk factors and hospital arrival delay. These results will likely be helpful to health care decision makers as they develop a model for stroke health care and community based training.

It was determined that the nursing diagnoses that the students mostly used, according to classification of NANDA-I, were in the domains of safety/protection, activity/rest, comfort, elimination and exchange, and nutrition.

Research Problem / Aim: The ventrogluteal injection area is one of the areas most frequently used by nurses in intramuscular injection applications. The thicknesses of the subcutaneous tissue and the muscle tissue in this area are important for a safe injection. The aim of this study is the determination of the subcutaneous and muscle tissue thicknesses on the ventrogluteal injection area and the anthropometric data about it. Method: The study has designed a cross-sectional study. 150 individuals who applied to the ultrasound unit of the hospital and accepted to participate in the study were included in the study. The ventrogluteal injection area was determined with the ‘’V’’ method by the researcher. The subcutaneous and muscle tissue thicknesses from the areas on the injection area and the areas 2 and 4 cm around the injection area were determined using the ultrasound device. Moreover, the relation between the anthropometric measurements of the individuals (height, weight, waist, hip and crista iliaca circumferences, distance between the large trochanter and crista iliaca and crista iliaca anterior) and the tissue thicknesses on the injection area were evaluated. The data of the research were evaluated with definitive statistics, ANOVA test and posthoc Tukey test, t test and correlation analysis. The p<0.05 value was accepted as statistically significant for all results. Findings: The average subcutaneous tissue thickness in the injection area was determined as 15.44±8.01 mm and the average tissue thickness there was determined as 31.75±11.86 mm. The subcutaneous tissue thickness in women was found more than the subcutaneous tissue thickness in men. When the tissue thicknesses 2 and 4 cm around the injection area were analyzed, it was found that the area where the total tissue thickness was the least was over 2 cm (41.67±14.83) and over 4 cm (35.79±15.55) of the injection area. It was determined that the average total thickness 4 cm around the injection area was less than 38 mm in underwight individuals. Conclusions: According to the results obtained from the study, the weight and body mass index of the individual should be considered in the choice of the injection area and the length of the needle to be used when the ventrogluteal injection area was used in intramuscular injections. Especially in obese individuals, longer needles can be preferred. Besides, it must be thought that there may be the risk of bone injury 4 cm around the injection area in asthenic individuals and individuals with normal weight. Moreover, since the individuals’ having a large waist and hip circumference is related to their subcutaneous tissue thickness, it is recommended that long needles should be chosen in these individuals.

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