Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109976

Karen L. Van Roekel and Marjan Najafi. Making Medical Injections Safer Project, John Snow, Inc, 1616 N. Ft. Myer Drive, 11th floor, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 528-7474, kvanroekel@jsi.com

Background: Using funds from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID and CDC contracted John Snow Inc. (JSI) and its partners to implement the Making Medical Injections Safer Project in 11 countries heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. This project focuses on preventing the transmission of HIV and hepatitis in health care settings by improving injection practices and reducing exposure to sharps waste. The people at risk of infection through unsafe injections are patients, health care workers (through needle stick injuries), and the wider community (through poor waste disposal practices). It is estimated that unsafe injections globally account for 5% of HIV, 32% of hepatitis B, and 40% of hepatitis C infections.

Methods: In 2004, baseline health facility surveys were completed with observations of injections, interviews with health care workers, supervisors and waste handlers, and exit interviews with patients. In Mozambique, for example, at baseline 46% of used sharps were placed in open containers, exposing staff to needle stick injuries and 81% of curative injections used re-usable devices. In 2005, follow-up surveys are planned to evaluate progress in key technical areas including policy development, capacity building, procurement and logistics of safe injection commodities, reducing unnecessary injections through advocacy and behavior change, and sharps waste management. Key indicators related to health worker behaviors, safe disposal of sharps waste, and management of commodities will be presented.

Results: Results will be compared between baseline and follow-up for several countries in this project, including Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the learner will be able to

• Describe the risk of HIV and hepatitis transmission related to unsafe medical injections and the technical approach used to reduce this risk.
• List key indicators related to safe injections.
• Analyze findings from assessments of medical injections in Africa.

Keywords: Health Care Workers, Occupational Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation