Division of Endocrinology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2022 Nov;16(6):1376-1380. doi: 10.1177/19322968211059851. Epub 2021 Dec 1.
Approximately eight billion therapeutic injections are administered outside of medical treatment facilities annually. The management of diabetes mellitus (DM) includes self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and administration of insulin and injectable non-insulin-related medications. The lancets, needles, and syringes used for DM management are categorized as medical sharps. Improperly discarded medical sharps can cause needlestick injuries in unsuspecting individuals and thereby pose a considerable public health risk. Release of these items into the environment will likely increase with the rising worldwide prevalence of DM, and a public safety crisis will emerge if proper disposal measures are not emphasized. This article reviews the literature from various geopolitical regions and describes how a substantial number of patients with DM improperly discard their sharps. Data support the need to develop multifaceted and innovative approaches to reduce risk associated with improper disposal of DM-related medical sharps into local communities.
每年有大约 80 亿次治疗性注射是在医疗机构之外进行的。糖尿病(DM)的管理包括自我监测血糖水平以及胰岛素和注射用非胰岛素相关药物的管理。用于 DM 管理的采血针、针头和注射器被归类为医疗锐器。处理不当的医疗锐器会导致毫无防备的人发生针刺伤,从而对公众健康造成相当大的风险。随着全球 DM 患病率的上升,这些物品被释放到环境中的可能性将会增加,如果不强调适当的处置措施,就会出现公共安全危机。本文综述了来自不同地缘政治区域的文献,并描述了相当数量的 DM 患者是如何不当处理他们的锐器的。数据支持需要制定多方面和创新的方法来降低与将 DM 相关的医疗锐器不当处置到当地社区相关的风险。