Safe Injections - WHO activities
Assessments
A first step towards evaluating the frequency of unsafe injection practices in countries is an injection safety assessment. In 2001, WHO, together with the Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN) and Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS) published a tool that provides a standard methodology for such assessments at national, sub-national, district or health facility level.
As of January 2005, a total of 74 primary assessments and four reassessments had been carried out. The proportion of countries having conducted a representative national injection safety assessment by WHO region at that time was as follows : Africa : 63%; Americas : 9%; Eastern Mediterranean : 74%; Europe : 33%; South-East Asia : 27%; and Western Pacific: 15%.
In general, the assessments undertaken have shown that reuse of reconstitution syringes is common, reconstitution practices are inadequate, supplies at lower levels of health-care provision are often "debundled" and increased attention needs to be given to the prevention of needle-stick injuries among health workers and the provision of hepatits B prophylaxis for the same group. Work is being undertaken, in collaboration with staff working on occupational health and health-care waste management issues, to help countries address these problems.
In the future, emphasis will need to be given to sustained follow-up on the problem areas identified and use of assessment results to advocate for policy changes that lead to the implementation of safe injection practices.