Routes of Administration

  • Route of Administration: The path by which a drug or vaccine is delivered to the body, such as oral, intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous

  • Enteral: any drug given through the digestive system

    • examples: oral, rectal

  • Parenteral: drugs given any route except the digestive system

    • examples: ophthalmic, otic, nasal, buccal, inhalation, dermal, intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular

  • Intradermal

    • top layer of skin

    • anterior forearm

    • 15 deg angle

  • Subcutaneous

    • fat layer under skin

    • back of upper arm, front of thigh, abdomen

    • 45 deg angle

  • Intramuscular

    • muscle tissue

    • upper arm, hip, buttocks

    • 90 deg angle

  • otic

    • in the ear

  • nasal

    • drug to the nose

  • buccal

    • between the gum and cheek

  • ophthalmic

    • in the eye

  • inhalation

    • into the lungs

  • oral

    • swallowed or chewed

  • rectal

    • through the anus

      dermal

    • on the skin