Journal of Nursing, Social Studies, Public Health and Rehabilitation X:X | DOI: 10.32725/jnss.2026.015

The relationship between nurses' education and safety practices for intramuscular and subcutaneous injections - an observational study

Eliška Vaníčková ^*, Valérie Tóthová ORCID...

University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Emergency Care, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Current situation: Intramuscular and subcutaneous injections rank among the most frequently performed nursing procedures in clinical practice. The correct administration technique is essential to ensure patient safety. Failure to adhere to recommended procedures can lead to medication errors, infections, tissue damage, or reduced therapeutic effectiveness.

Methods: The study was conducted as a quantitative observational study using participant observation to examine the procedures for injectable drug administration in clinical practice. Data were collected in the internal medicine and surgery departments of a selected healthcare facility between August and October 2023. A total of 100 observations were made. Data were obtained using a structured observation sheet and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test at a significance level of α = 0.05.

Results: Deficiencies were identified primarily in the labeling of injectable medicinal products and in the technique of skin disinfection before application. In contrast, a relatively high level of compliance was observed in the area of hand hygiene.

Conclusion: Nurses' educational attainment was associated with adherence to selected safety procedures during intramuscular injection administration, particularly patient identification and hand hygiene. No such association was observed for subcutaneous injections. A notable finding was the consistently low rate of correct labeling of prepared injections, highlighting an important and persistent risk factor for medication errors in clinical practice.

Keywords: Administration of drugs; Intramuscular injection; Nursing practice; Patient safety; Subcutaneous injections

Grants and funding:

The contribution is connected with the re-search grant project number GAJU 071/2024/S, which is realized with financial support from the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest relevant to this study.

Received: May 20, 2026; Revised: August 17, 2026; Accepted: September 18, 2026; Prepublished online: September 22, 2026