Subcutaneous via: A medicament alternative administration way to help terminal patients at home.

Abstract

Home medical care of patients with terminal illnesses is more and more frequent in the clinical practice in primary care context. This medical practice copes with the challenge to buffer symptoms, taking into account that oral administration for an effective palliative treatment always is not possible. In this setting, subcutaneous via of drug administration can be a plausible alternative because it permits administer higher number of indispensable drugs than by other administration vias. This advantage makes possible an integrative care of the patients in their environment and, in turn, it enhances their quality of life. The aim of this paper is to facilitate the use of subcutaneous via of drug administration by medical staff in primary care. For this, the foundations of subcutaneous administration as well as the methodology and drugs widely administered by this via are described.