Injection (medicine)

Injection (medicine)

An injection (often referred to as a "shot" in US English, or a "jab" in UK English) is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body. An injection follows a parenteral route of administration; that is, administered other than through the digestive tract.

There are several methods of injection or infusion, including intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, intraosseous, and intraperitoneal. Long-acting forms of subcutaneous/intramuscular injections are available for various drugs, and are called depot injections.

Injections are among the most common health care procedures, with least 16 billion administered in developing and transitional countries each year. 95% of injections are administered in curative care, 3% for immunization and the rest for other purposes, such as blood transfusions.