Department of Health Guidance states that “People must not be deliberately restrained in a way that impacts on their airway, breathing or circulation” and that “there must be no planned or intentional restraint of a person in a prone/face-down position on any surface, not just the floor”.
The MHA Code of Practice 1983 – First Published 2015 states “Where rapid tranquillisation in the form of an intramuscular injection is needed, the person prescribing the injection should state the preferred injection site, having taken full account of the need to avoid prone restraint (i.e., where the person is forcibly laid on their front)”.
The World Health Organisation in 2004 stated that they “Do not advocate the dorsogluteal site for routine use, because of poor absorption of vaccines and the risk of sciatic nerve injury” and that “anterolateral thigh and deltoid are recommended sites for vaccines in infants and children”.
So why, in 2019, are we still using prone (in many healthcare trusts) as a primary restraint position for the administration of IM medication, especially where there is an alternative.
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Best Regards
Mark Dawes