Statement on Administration of Medications

Developed By: Committee on Quality Management and Departmental Administration
Last Amended: October 15, 2025  (Original Approval: October 23, 2019)

Routes of medication administration include:

Oral, Nasal, Conjunctival, Sublingual or Buccal, Rectal, Vaginal, Topical, Subcutaneous, Transcutaneous, Inhaled, Intramuscular, Intravenous, Intraarterial, Intraosseal, Epidural, Subarachnoid, Perineural

All medication administration via parenteral routes should follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Safe Injection Practices to Prevent Transmission of Infection to Patients¹ and labeling guidelines  set by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.² Similar best practices should be applied to administration of medications via non-parenteral routes and guided by evidence-based knowledge when available and applicable.

Administration of medications is distinct from compounding. Administration includes the preparation of the medication from the packaged form as per manufacturer’s instructions, including aseptically drawing up fluid medications into syringes, reconstituting and diluting sterile products, as well as preparing fluids in bags or bottles by attaching tubing for patient use. Compounding occurs when a medication is prepared in a manner that is not in accordance with directions contained in approved labeling provided by the product’s manufacturer and other manufacturer directions. If compounding of medications is required in the course of clinical care, the method of preparation should be consistent with guidance on compounding from the US Pharmacopeia General Chapter <797>.³

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Safe Injection Practices to Prevent Transmission of Infections to Patients. Last amended April 12, 2024
2. American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Equipment and Facilities. ASA Statement on Labeling of Pharmaceuticals for Use in Anesthesiology. Approved by ASA House of Delegates on October 27, 2004; last amended October 28, 2020.
3. U.S. Pharmacopeia. General Chapter <797>. Last amended November 1, 2022.