Injection safety is every provider's responsibility

Please review these injection safety guidelines from the CDC. The following are steps every health care provider should take to double-check their injection practices.

Injection Safety Guidelines

• Follow proper infection control practices and maintain aseptic technique during the preparation and administration of injected medications (e.g., perform hand hygiene).

• Never administer medications from the same syringe to more than one patient, even if the needle is changed.

• Never enter a vial with a used syringe or needle.

• Do not use medications packaged as single-dose or single-use for more than one patient.

• Do not use bags of intravenous solution as a common source of supply for more than one patient.

• Limit the use of multi-dose vials and dedicate them to a single patient whenever possible.

• Always use facemasks when injecting material or inserting a catheter into the epidural or subdural space.

Unsafe injection practices can have devastating consequences. According to the CDC, in recent years, syringe reuse and misuse of medication vials have resulted in dozens of outbreaks and the need to alert more than 150,000 patients to seek testing for bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV. 

Resources to share with your teams
Health care providers can review medication preparation and administration procedures with staff and colleagues to ensure that safe practices are understood and followed by all.

• Injection Safety Guidelines Pocket Card

• Injection Safety Checklist

• Single-dose or Multi-dose?

• Dangerous Misperceptions About Safe Injection Practices