Final answer:
Route of drug administration is significant in medicine, with intramuscular and intravenous methods offering different rates of absorption and plasma concentration peaks. Oral administration is often preferred for its convenience, while parenteral methods are used when oral intake isn't possible or effective.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mode of administering a drug is a crucial factor in drug therapy. Intramuscular administration involves injecting a drug directly into a muscle, allowing the drug to be absorbed into the bloodstream slowly. In contrast, intravenous administration involves delivering the drug directly into the bloodstream, providing a quickly peaking plasma concentration.
Oral administration is typically preferred for its convenience, especially for home treatment of systemic infections. However, some drugs are not efficiently absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In these cases, parenteral methods like intramuscular injections are a preferable alternative. Topical application is another method, suitable for treatment of superficial skin infections.
When choosing the route of administration, factors to consider include the drug's absorption rate, the patient's ability to take medications orally, and the desired speed of drug delivery into the system.