Safe Injection Practices PDF

MAKE SMART INJECTION CHOICES SAFE INJECTION PRACTICES For Health Care Providers SAFE INJECTION CHOICES MATTER health care providers from...

MAKE SMART INJECTION CHOICES SAFE INJECTION PRACTICES For Health Care Providers SAFE INJECTION CHOICES MATTER health care providers from needle-stick injuries [sharp injury protection (SIP) feature]. Prescribers and health care providers have a key role to play in making the right choices that support safe injections and reduce unnecessary injections. BE A SKILLFULL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: TALK TO YOUR PATIENTS Do you really need to give an injection? What safe choices should you make when giving an injection? As a health care provider, you have a key role to play in making the right prescription decisions Many injections around the world and helping patients understand are unnecessary and often unsafe. what treatment they are receiving. Unsafe injections put lives at risk If a medication is prescribed, and every year cause 1.67 million consider the method of hepatitis B infections, up to 315 120 administration. hepatitis C infections and up to 33 877 human immunodeficiency Ask yourself: is an injection virus (HIV) infections.1,2 really needed, or is there an oral alternative? The World Health Organization (WHO) 2015 Guidelines recommend Surveys in Indonesia and Romania rational use of injections, safe injection showed that in situations when practices and the exclusive use of a patient asked for an injection safety-engineered syringes for all and the health care provider types of injections by 2020. Safety- informed the patient that an oral engineered syringes exist for both medicine would work equally immunization and therapeutic use well, the patient was then and have mechanisms preventing convincedand did not insist on re-use of the device [re-use prevention having theinjection. 3,4 (RUP) syringe] and/or protecting 1. Pepin et al. Evolution of the global use of unsafe medical injections, 2000-2010. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 8;12:e80948. 2. Pepin et al. Evolution of the global burden of viral infections from unsafe medical injections, 2000-2010. PLoS One. 2014 Jun 9;9(6):e99677. 3. CDC. Unpublished data, 1998.  HOW CAN AN INJECTION BE UNSAFE? SAFETY FIRST One of the most effective ways to avoid injection-associated infections is to reduce the number of injections given in hospitals and clinics. Most oral medications (e.g.,antibiotics, vitamins and painkillers) are absorbed well and rapidly in the digestive tract. Clinical trials also show that for most common conditions the use of injections is not associated with higher cure rates or faster healing. 5 In most cases, injections should only be used: UNSAFE INJECTION PRACTICES For serious and life-threatening illness where they are Unsafe injection practices are caused recommended by treatment by avoidable risky situations and guidelines. practices including: Lack of awareness of the risks of  When patients are unable to swallow. unsafe injections.  Overuse of injections for  When patients vomit profusely. illnesses for which effective oral  When there is no effective oral medications exist. medication or the absorption process is significantly altered.  Needle-stick injuries to health care workers from recapping needles.  Lack of clean work spaces.  Re-use of syringes because of shortages of syringes.  Unsafe sharps collection and waste management. 4. Hadiyono et al. Interactional group discussion: results of a controlled trial using a behavioural intervention to reduce the use of injections in public health facilities. Soc Sci Med. 1996 Apr;42(8):1177-83. 5.Unpublished review by WHO, CDC and University of Washington, 2002-3. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS PREVENT AVOIDABLE INFECTIONS Always use safety-engineered syringes, show your patients your new syringe package and explain that they prevent re-use. This will help increase awareness of how to keep safe and prevent avoidable infections. WHO recommends health care providers should focus on the following 7 steps that make every injection safe. STEP 1: Clean work space. STEP 2: Hand hygiene. STEP 3: Sterile and new syringe and needle, with re-use prevention and/or injury protection feature whenever possible. STEP 4: Sterile vial of medication and diluent. STEP 5: Skin disinfection. STEP 6: Appropriate collection of sharps. STEP 7: Appropriate waste management. By following these simple steps, you take key actions to ensure the risks of unsafe injections are avoided. For further information please visit: www.who.int/infection-prevention ©World Health Organization 2017. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO Licence. All photos ©WHO/Arshad Altaf.