Unnecessary & Unsafe Injections Replace Disposable by Auto-Disable Syringes

Abstract

Injections are a skin procedure performed with a syringe and needle to introduce a substance for prophylactic, curative, or recreational purpose. Injections can be given intevenously, intramuscularly, intradermally, or subcutaneously. Injections are among the most frequently used medical procedures, with an estimated 12 billion injections administered worldwide.  A large majority (more than 90%) of these injections are administered for curative purpose (for every vaccination, 20 curative injections are administered).

Injections have been used effectively for many years in preventive and curative healthcare. In preventive healthcare, injections have been used to administer vaccinations that have had major impact in reducing childhood mortality due to measles and other vaccine preventable diseases. While injections are still necessary today to administer most vaccination, the number of vaccination injections could be reduced through the use of combination vaccines. In curative healthcare, injections have been used to administer such antibiotics as Penicillin, Streptomycin, as well as many other life saving medications. Today, safe and effective alternatives to injected medications are available and most medications used in primary care can be administered orally. Injections are predominantly needed for treatment of severe diseases, mostly in hospital settings. Nevertheless, injections are overused to administer medications in many countries because of an ingrained preference for injections among health workers and patients.

A safe injection does no harm to the recipient, does not expose the healthcare worker to any risk, and does not result in waste that is dangerous for the community. To achieve this, an injection needs to be prepared with clean hands in a clean area, using a syringe and a sterile needle. After administration, sharp equipments such as needle need to be discarded in a puncture proof container for appropriate disposal. When these rules are not followed, injections are unsafe and may expose recipients, healthcare workers, or the community to infections. Among unsafe practices, syringe or needle reuse between patients without sterilization is associated with a high risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission. Unsafe injections occur in many parts of the world and more particularly in developing countries where up to 50% of injections are administered with reused syringes and needles.

To reduce the overuse of injections, and to assure safe injection practice, multidisciplinary strategies comprising of various elements have been discussed in this article.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v1i3.8770

Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences Vol.1(3) 2013: 67-70