Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) released a manual, ‘IAP Guidelines on Safe Injection Practices’, in association with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company. The manual provides rules for safe injections and prevention of infection in healthcare settings in India.

The Academy seeks to ensure that patients, healthcare workers, communities and the environment are protected from risks associated with unnecessary and unsafe injections, as well as improper disposal of medical waste.

A 2005 study to assess injection practices in India showed that nationwide, 62 per cent of all injections were unsafe due to improper sterilization, reuse or faulty administration, making them a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) which a patient acquires while undergoing treatment from a healthcare facility for a different medical problem.

In the last 20 years, emerging diseases like HBV, HCV and HIV have intensified severity of risks from unsafe injections and unsafe waste disposal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally about 1.3 mm people die of infections caused by reuse of syringes per year, of which estimated 300,000 are in India. The IAP Guidelines provide an analysis of the problem of unsafe injections and provide technical specifications on safe injection techniques.

A safe injection environment (SIE) is defined by a set of conditions in which required medication is delivered in all settings without potential harm to the patient, to the service provider, or to the community. The creation of SIE calls for integration over the spectrum of patient care and also throughout the lifecycle of the devices used from source materials and manufacturing through use and disposal.

“We are committed to improving the health and well being of all people who receive injections. It will help mobilize both the healthcare workers and the community to change injection practices and improve health outcomes throughout the country,” said Rohit C Agrawal, National IAP President.

The initiative is aligned with BD’s purpose of ‘Helping all people live healthy lives.’ A safe injection environment in healthcare settings is key to infection prevention and management. “We are pleased to collaborate with IAP in creating this guidebook that provides standard operating procedures to help ensure basic levels of patient safety and healthcare provider protection from the risks associated with unsafe injection practices,” stated Manoj Gopalakrishna, managing director, BD – India.

In India, IAP and BD have collaborated since 2004 to address the issue of unsafe injections by establishing guidelines to help ensure the highest levels of injection safety in India. Both have also collaborated to implement an injection safety intervention model in Kerala, which is now being replicated across the country in a phased manner.

Further, IAP and BD will continue to address this important public health issue of unsafe injections in India through a multi-pronged approach that includes training, public awareness and technology innovations.