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wikiHow to Do Injections

Whether you're a nurse beginning in medical school or have to administer medications at home, needles are one of the most intimidating ways to administer medicines. This article will teach you how to inject a needle into a patient's arm smoothly and flawlessly with as little pain as possible.


  1. 1
    Lather your hands with soap and make sure you have made plenty of bubbles before rinsing well with warm water. Be sure your hands are completely dry and try not to touch anything that may contaminate your hands before you prepare for the injection.
  2. 2
    Carefully fill the needle or syringe up to the amount of medicine needed. Make sure you are using a clean, new needle or syringe that has not been contaminated.
    • The syringe may be completely full or partially full.
  3. 3
    If you are not working in the area where the patient is waiting, you'll have to take the needle to the room he/she is in without dropping or contaminating it. You can either hold it in your hand, or you can place it on a clean metal tray designed for this purpose.
  4. 4
    Prepare the patient for the injection. Tightly their arm with a tourniquet underneath the vein where you are planning to inject the medicine in. This will restrict blood flow through that vein and make it easier to see.
  5. 5
    Take a cotton swab and dampen it with alcohol. Swab the vein and the area around it where you will be injecting the medicine.
  6. 6
    Dispose of the cotton swab without contaminating your hands.
  7. 7
    Take the needle or syringe and hold it in the proper position so that you can perform the injection smoothly and quickly. If the patient appears nervous or scared, gently talk to them and distract them with friendly, soothing questions. While they are answering, smoothly poke the needle or syringe through the vein it is to be injected in. Do not make any sudden jerks or movements. At this point, it's best to have a supporting hand holding the patient's arm to keep them from moving it.
    • If the patient is a child, you can let him/her sit on his/her parent's lap to bring about a feeling of protection. If the patient's parent isn't in the room at the moment or the patient refuses to sit in his/her parent's lap (sometimes, the patient may feel embarrassed about needing such comfort), suggest that the patient looks away, unless if the patient is fascinated by having a needle injected into his/her arm.
  8. 8
    Quickly press the top of the needle or syringe to inject the substance into the body as quickly and painlessly as possible. Keep talking to the patient and distracting them from the pain.
  9. 9
    Gently but quickly pull the needle out without jerking or moving it around. Make sure you have pulled the needle out from the same angle you injected it in, or you may cause some pain.
  10. 10
    Apply a bandage onto the injected spot.

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • Can I inject myself?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Yes, but you must have a steady hand.
  • Should a flu Injection be given into the patient's vein?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Flu shots are injected into muscles, not veins.
  • Where do I inject Voltaren?
    wikiHow Contributor
    You should ask your doctor for clarification, but in general, injections of Voltaren into a muscle are used to treat pain due to gallstones or kidney stones and severe migraine attacks. Infusions of Voltaren into a vein are used to treat or prevent pain following surgery.
Unanswered Questions
  • I have been injected with the birth control injection so when I got home I found a spot of blood and some circle of medicine it was hot. So does it mean the medicine is out of my body system?
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    • Try to make it go as quickly as possible.


    • Only inject medicines under a doctor's instructions.

    Things You'll Need

    • Needle/syringe
    • Intravenous medicine
    • Alcohol Swab
    • Bandage

    Article Info

    Categories: Injections

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