Route of administration is the path by which a medicine or other substance is introduced into the body.
Common routes include oral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, inhaled, topical, rectal, and transdermal administration. The route can influence how quickly a medicine takes effect, how much reaches the bloodstream, and how long its effects last.
The appropriate route depends on the medicine, the condition being treated, the desired speed of action, and the person’s ability to receive or absorb the medicine.
QUICK FACT
The same medicine may be available in different formulations or routes, and those formulations are not necessarily interchangeable.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Dosage: The route describes how a medicine enters the body; the dosage describes how much medicine is administered.
SEE ALSO
- Parenteral
- Intravenous
- Intramuscular
- Oral administration
- Injectable
