Reflection on Administering Subcutaneous Injection for Deep Venous Thrombosis Prophylaxis

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Nursing assignment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Description
I was assigned to a patient named Antonio who underwent the umbilical hernia surgery
and is prescribed by the physician for the administration of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis.
I was working with the patient for postoperative care and was supposed to give medication
through subcutaneous injection. Medication involves anticoagulant heparin 5000units as
mentioned in the patient’s drug chart (ampules contained 25000units/ml and volume 0.2 ml). I
had donned my gloves prior to injection, after performing five moments of hand hygiene. Before
injecting I had wiped the skin of the patient with alcohol and left for 30 seconds to dry. After
injecting on the abdomen through syringe I had kept it for less than 10 seconds. Later I have
disposed the injection without re-sheathing. I had pre-planned the steps to be followed and was
mindful enough to follow the guide. Therefore, I could well perform the given assessment, even
though nervous initially.
Feelings
Before performing the skill I was too nervous. I had administered the injection too quick
as per my peer feedback. It may be because of my nervousness. It made me feel anxious about
the outcome of the injection on the patient. It made me doubtful about the impact of the
medication, on the recovery of the patient. Heparin was important for the patient as it prevents
the harmful blood clots inside the veins after the surgery. Proper medication administration
ensures a smooth blood flow through the vessels (Pourghaznein et al., 2014). If I had not injected
properly, the blood clots would remain in the veins, causing post operative complications.
Learning this skill was important for me as it was an integral part of my profession as per the
“nursing and midwifery council's (NMC) Standards for Medicines management”

3NURSING ASSIGNMENT
(Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2018). However, I regained my self-confidence as I have
received positive feedback from my teacher. As per his feedback my injecting skill was very fast
and I have performed the assessment very well. I was confident while performing the assessment
according to my teacher. I plan to be more confident next time. I believe the positive outcome
was due to adherence to clinical guidelines.
Evaluation
The positive outcome of the skill assessment is the learning the right technique of the
administering medication subcutaneously. Mastering the skill requires professional judgment and
sound knowledge of anatomy. It worked well as I have learnt about the four considerations while
injecting the medication. It includes technique used, route of administration, equipment used and
site of administration (Pourghaznein et al., 2014). I had used 45 degrees angle and introduced the
needle at raised skin fold. However, to ensure the efficacy of medication in subcutaneous layer,
90 degree angle is preferable (Cross et al., 2017). I have performed well because the wiping skin
with alcohol ensured aseptic technique. Immediate disposal of injection was necessary to prevent
needle stick injury and exposure to blood borne infections (Pourghaznein et al., 2014). However,
I should have kept the injection for 10 seconds before removing. This aspect did not work well
although administration was successful.
Analysis
As I was analysing the future practice needing this skill, I had realised that the nurses are
responsible for safe medication and adopting the right injecting skills will prevent complications.
A poor competence of this technique may lead to intramuscular administration of the injection
and reduced absorption of the medication (Pourghaznein et al., 2014). I realised that I need to