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Injection Safety

What is 'Injection Safety'?

According to World Health Organization (WHO), a safe injection does not harm the recipient, does not expose the provider to any avoidable risks, and does not result in waste that is dangerous for the community. Injections are one of the most frequently used medical procedures to administer drugs, but unsafe practices can transmit various bloodborne pathogens and harm the patient and/or the healthcare worker. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is collaborating with partners to educate about injection safety to keep healthcare workers and patients safe.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's One & Only Campaign

The One & Only Campaign is a public health effort to eliminate unsafe medical injections. Led by CDC and the Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC), the campaign seeks to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices, which are critical to the overall safety of healthcare delivery. Unsafe injection practices put patients and healthcare personnel at risk of disease transmission, including bacterial infections like MRSA or bloodborne pathogens like hepatitis C virus.

Click here for more information on CDC's One & Only Campaign.

Check Your Steps! Make Every Injection Safe [3:15 mins] Check Your Steps! Make Every Injection Safe [3:15 mins]
Managing Patient Safety, One Injection at a Time [2:35 mins] Managing Patient Safety, One Injection at a Time [2:35 mins]
Safe Injection Practices – How to Do It Right [4:25 mins] Safe Injection Practices – How to Do It Right [4:25 mins]
Safe Injection Practices for Healthcare Providers [13:00 mins] Safe Injection Practices for Healthcare Providers [13:00 mins]
Bloodborne Pathogens Training [20:07mins] Bloodborne Pathogens Training [20:07mins]
Inside the Pain Management Clinic [2:58mins] Inside the Pain Management Clinic [2:58mins]

Myth Versus Truth

Truth

Both needle and syringe are considered contaminated, and new sterile needle and sterile syringe should be used.

Myth

Changing the needle makes the syringe safe for reuse.

Truth

The IV tubing, syringe, and other components represent a single interconnected unit and should never be reused.

Myth

Syringes can be reused if the injection is administered through IV tubing.

Truth

Germs such as hepatitis C virus and MRSA are invisible to the naked eye, but can easily infect patients even when present in microscopic quantities.

Myth

If you don’t see blood, it’s safe to reuse.

Truth

Single-dose or single-use items should not be used for more than one patient.

Myth

Its okay to use left over medication from single use vials for more than one patient.

Truth

Most multi-dose vials that are intended for several medication administrations have a preservative in them that prevents bacterial growth. Single-use vials do not contain a preservative. These preservatives have no effect on viruses.

Myth

All medication vials have preservatives in them that prevent contamination.

Truth

Since 2001, discovery of unsafe injection practices, have prompted nearly 200,000 patients to seek testing for bloodborne pathogens.

Myth

Unsafe injection practices do not commonly cause transmission of infection.

Resources for Patients

General Resources

Resources for Insulin and Glucose Monitoring 

Resources for Healthcare Workers

World Health Organization (WHO)

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

United States Pharmacopeia (USP)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Quality Collaboration

Page last reviewed and updated: November 2023