Source: Courtesy of Freepik
Research in South African shows that most diabetics don’t know what to do with their insulin pen needles and lancets, after they’ve used them – 88% of the people throw them in the dustbin. The disposal of used sharps in the community has been identified as an area of public and environmental health concern. Awareness of proper sharps waste disposal is essential for all diabetics. The law states that sharps waste must be disposed of in a sharps waste container that is puncture proof.
Insulin-dependent diabetic patients are seldom educated on safe sharps disposal methods, which leads to unsafe disposal of needles and lancets. Patients should be educated regarding health risks associated with used sharps. While there is a fair amount of literature on sharps disposal practices, most diabetic patients generally don’t adhere to them. Many diabetics receive only verbal information on how to dispose of their sharps. Those receiving guidance are more likely to dispose of their sharps safely. Sharps are most of the time disposed of in the most convenient manner, the household waste. This contributes to environmental pollution and places people at physical and psychological risk. Suitable education on the correct disposal of sharps should be an important part of diabetic counselling. Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists should all take responsibility for educating and reinforcing information about correct sharps disposal methods. Patients should be advised to discard sharps into puncture resistant containers and return them for disposal by the dispensing pharmacy.
The South African Metabolic and Endocrine Guidelines (SEMDSA) and the South African Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) give clear guidance on the safe disposal of needles.
Do not:
· Do not put any used needles and lancets in a household rubbish bin or recycling bin.
· Do not flush needles and other sharps down the toilet.
· Do not leave used needles or lancets lying around.
· Do not bend, clip or break any needles.
Do:
· Do dispose of all needles and lancets intact and not bent or broken.
· Do keep all handling of sharps to a minimum and out of reach of children and pets.
· Do place all used lancets and needles, immediately after use, in a sealed, puncture- proof container. A used medication container can serve this purpose.
· Do carry a suitable sharps disposal container for your used sharps, when travelling.
· Do drop off the sealed, puncture-proof container at your dispensing pharmacy or any pharmacy near you, that has a sharps bin.
How to dispose of used insulin pens
Disposable insulin pens should be disposed of without the needle attached. The device can be safely disposed of in your household trash and should not be recycled in any form.
How many times should you use a diabetic lancet or insulin needles?
A lancet (finger-stick blood sampler) is used in conjunction with a lancet pen, test strips and a glucometer, to test blood sugar levels. Most patients use lancets multiple times, but lancets should only be used once. Most makers of needles and lancets, medical doctors and professional’s prefer patients change lancets and needles after every finger poke or insulin injection. Medical aid companies may disagree. Reuse of needles and lancets can result in needle bends, which can lead to problems at the injection site like scar tissue, bleeding, and in some cases infection.
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