Proper insulin injection technique can help to ensure better glucose control which is critical in managing diabetes today and over the long term. This video covers the basics of injecting insulin with a syringe.
Proper insulin technique is critical to managing your diabetes whether you’re new to injecting insulin or just one or a fresh i think you’ll find this video demonstration will make you more comfortable with the process i’m going to cover the basics of how to inject insulin with a syringe but if your doctor has suggested a different method always follow your
Doctor’s instructions for this demonstration i’ll be using a half milliliter bd insulin syringe with the bd ultrafine six millimeter needle and i’ll use a dose of thirty four units of u-100 insulin this is only an example so be sure to check with your doctor to determine the syringe and the dose that are right for you first gather all your supplies onto a flat
Surface you’ll need your syringe a bottle of insulin two alcohol swabs and a sharps container after washing your hands with soap and water open the alcohol swabs and place them on top of the packages before i continue i want to make sure you’re familiar with the parts of the syringe the largest part called the barrel has markings that are used to measure your
Insulin a half milliliter barrel can hold up to 50 units the long lines mark every five units and the shorter lines in between indicate single units the barrel has wings or flanges on the bottom to help you hold the syringe a white cap covers the end of the plunger inside the barrel the plunger has a black rubber stopper that moves as you push or pull the plunger
At the other end of the syringe is the needle which is covered by an orange cap make sure your syringe has an orange cap and that the barrel is printed with u-100 only if your syringe doesn’t have these features it’s not designed for insulin unless your doctor tells you otherwise only use an insulin syringe next let’s look at our insulin bottle if you’re using a
New bottle of insulin remove the bottles plastic cap and throw it away on the insulin label write the date you opened the bottle that way you’ll know when a month has gone by and it’s time to dispose of the insulin before injecting always check the insulin closely if it has any lumps or crystals or a strange color dispose of the insulin and use a new bottle if you
Have any questions about the way it looks check with your pharmacist now if you’re using clear insulin and it looks okay then you’re ready to inject if you’re using cloudy insulin and it looks okay gently roll the bottle between your about 20 times until the liquid is well mixed and has an even look be sure never to shake your insulin that could create air bubbles
Or even damage the insulin next use one of the alcohol swabs to wipe the top of the insulin bottle then let the alcohol air dry now when you draw insulin the first step is to inject air into the bottle equal to the amount of insulin that you intend to take from the bottle this makes it easier to get insulin into the syringe to get started twist and remove the white
Cap from the end of the plunger then pull the orange cap off the needle making sure to pull straight off to avoid damaging the needle in this example i’m using a dose of thirty four units of insulin so to get thirty four units of air into the insulin bottle first i need to get thirty four units of air into the barrel of the syringe to do this simply pull the plunger
Until the end of the rubber stopper closest to the needle goes past the thirty unit mark to the fourth small line this is the thirty four unit mark now hold the syringe like a pencil with your dominant hand and hold the insulin bottle on a flat surface with your other hand place the needles point directly above the centre of the bottles rubber top being careful not
To touch the metal rim with the tip of the needle gently push the needle straight through the top of the bottle until the entire needle goes in then slowly push down on the plunger to push the air in the syringe into the bottle now with the syringe still in the bottle turn both the insulin bottle and the syringe upside down so the bottle is on top of the syringe
Make sure the needle tip is below the level of the insulin left in the bottle if the tip is above the insulin level you’ll need to pull the needle out a bit to draw insulin into the syringe slowly and steadily pull down on the plunger until the end of the black rubber stopper closest to the needle is even with the line on the syringe indicating your dose in this
Case 34 units it’s important to pull slowly since pulling too fast will create tiny air bubbles in the saran these air bubbles take the place of your insulin which keeps you from getting your full dose so before removing the needle from the bottle look for air bubbles in the barrel of the syringe if you see any air bubbles slowly push the plunger until all of the
Insulin is back in the bottle then redraw the insulin more slowly continue to check for air bubbles as you go repeat these steps until there are no air bubbles in your syringe once you’ve drawn up your dose without any air bubbles turn the syringe and the bottle back over and place the bottle on a flat surface then holding the syringe by the barrel carefully pull
The needle straight out of the bottle and place the syringe on the flat surface as well being careful not to let the needle touch the surface whether you’re injecting in the abdomen or thigh as part of healthy injection practices it’s important to rotate your injection sites move the injection down by a fingers width with each injection and then change to a new
Site each week so now with the 2nd alcohol swab clean the small area of skin where you plan to inject to clean the injection site start in the middle of the site and then moving in a circular motion clean the whole area to reduce any stinging be sure to let the alcohol on your skin air dry completely before you inject next using your thumb and other fingers gently
Not too tight pinch up the area of skin that you just cleaned pinching up helps to ensure the needle doesn’t hit any muscle and that the insulin is released into the fatty tissue just beneath the skin now in the middle of the pinch insert the needle straight in if you’re very thin you might need to inject at a 45 degree angle but if you’re not sure discuss it with
Your healthcare professional when the needle is fully inserted slowly push in the plunger to deliver the insulin to your body then release the pinch as you slowly remove the needle and that’s it to finish up put the used syringe and needle in a sharps container which you can by your local pharmacy be sure to check with your sanitation company regarding rules about
Proper disposal of used syringes and sharps containers and remember never reuse a needle after you’ve injected the caps and alcohol swaps can be placed with your regular trash that wasn’t so hard right but it’s really important proper insulin injection technique helps ensure better glucose control which is critical in managing your diabetes today and over the long term
Transcribed from video
Diabetes Care: How to Inject Insulin with a Syringe By BD Diabetes Care
