Medical sharps in Portugal: a cross-sectional survey of disposal practices among the diabetic population

We randomly sampled diabetic patients representative of five primary care facilities. Inclusion criteria consisted in patients≥18 years old with an active diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM). Patients unable to provide written informed consent were excluded.

A total of 1436 diabetics were included.

Conclusions: Most diabetics have unsafe disposal practices for their biohazardous materials, mostly in unsorted household waste. We identified that being unemployed independently predicts adequate disposal of medical sharps and found evidence of low patient literacy on the topic, as well as poor patient education. Therefore, educating and raising awareness among healthcare professionals is crucial to address this public health issue.

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Robot pill could help replace insulin injections for diabetics
A robot pill that delivers insulin directly to the gut could replace multiple painful injections for people with diabetes.

It can also deliver antibiotics – offering hope of battling superbugs with oral medications.

For patients and physicians, taking treatments by mouth is most desirable. Swallowing is safer, more convenient and less invasive.

But the drugs often cannot withstand stomach acids before unleashing their payloads for the intended effects. The degradation makes them less effective.The capsule, called RoboCap, could revolutionise therapy. In a swine model, it increased permeability for insulin more than tenfold.

Similar results were seen for vancomycin – an antibiotic that is usually delivered intravenously.

Lead author Dr Giovanni Traverso, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, said: ‘Peptides and proteins are important drugs.

‘But the degradative environment of the gastrointestinal tract and poor absorption has limited the ability to deliver these drugs orally.’

About the size of a blueberry, the inexpensive device is made from biodegradable polymer and stainless steel components.

It makes it through the harsh environment of the stomach, resisting attacks from enzymes and penetrating the small intestine’s mucus barrier and other obstacles.

Currently, many common drugs including insulin must be delivered through other means.

Dr Traverso said: ‘When ingested, RoboCap’s gelatinous coating is dissolved in the stomach.

‘The environment of the small intestine activates RoboCap, which vibrates and rotates to clear mucus, enhance mixing and deposit the drug payload in the small intestine where the drug is likely to be absorbed.

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Florida hospital nurse contracted monkeypox from needlestick, CDC says

A Florida hospital nurse was exposed to monkeypox through a needlestick in July, representing the nation’s first confirmed case from a healthcare exposure, the CDC said Oct. 17.

The emergency department nurse was exposed July 12 when recapping a needle that was used to pierce a lesion on a patient to access fluid for testing. The patient tested positive for monkeypox later that day.

The nurse received the first dose of Jynneos’ monkeypox vaccine 15 hours after the needlestick and continued to work over the following days while wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves. Ten days after exposure, the nurse developed a skin lesion at the site of the needlestick and tested positive for monkeypox. The nurse isolated at home for 19 days, and no secondary cases were identified.

“CDC advises against unroofing, opening or aspirating monkeypox lesions with sharp instruments (e.g., needles) and recapping used needles because of the risk for sharps injuries,” the agency said. “Because of the reliability and sensitivity of real-time PCR assays used, vigorous swabbing of the outer surface of a lesion is adequate to collect enough viral material for testing and will minimize the potential for needlesticks.”

View the full report here

US biolab accidents going unreported – The Intercept

Some have reportedly involved deadly pathogens, and hundreds of cases have been kept from public view.
Directors of America’s biolabs have admitted to hundreds of dangerous accidents in the past two decades, but even incidents involving exposure to deadly viruses have been kept from public view, an investigation by The Intercept has revealed.

“People have it in their minds that lab accidents are very, very rare, and if they happen, they happen only in the least well-run overseas labs,” Rutgers University molecular biologist Richard Ebright told the media outlet. “That simply isn’t true.”
One such incident occurred in 2016, when a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis accidentally pricked her finger with a needle after injecting a mouse with a recombinant strain of the Chikungunya virus, The Intercept said. The student didn’t tell her supervisor about the accident until after becoming ill and seeking treatment at a local hospital emergency room.

The university disclosed the accident and infection to the NIH, where the report was kept under wraps until The Intercept came calling six years later.

To read more click here.

Preventing needlestick injuries to healthcare workers

Employees who work in residential care, assisted living facilities, hospitals, or clinics are at an increased risk of needlestick injuries. While a needlestick itself isn’t a serious injury, it can lead to serious and sometimes fatal bloodborne pathogen infections. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV can be spread through needlesticks. Staff members who care for patients are certainly at risk, but it’s important to remember anyone at a facility that uses needles could suffer from a needlestick, including office and housekeeping staff, if needles aren’t disposed of properly. 

Preventing needlesticks

Employers should provide employees with training and readily available sharps disposal sites to help protect them from needlesticks. Here are a few specific tips to help keep employees safe:

  • Whenever possible, utilize needles with automatic safety devices.
  • Offer and encourage employees to get a hepatitis B vaccine.
  • Provide training on facility-specific procedures for utilizing needles safely.
  • Establish procedures for employees to report any needlestick injuries and provide first aid and bloodborne pathogen testing.
  • Instruct employees to avoid recapping needles.
  • Establish a procedure for employees to report any needlestick hazards they come across in the workplace and take steps to address these hazards promptly.needlestick injuries 1

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specific hepatitis B vaccination requirements for employers whose workers could be exposed to bloodborne pathogens in the course of their job duties. Read our article to learn more about these requirements. Employers must provide their employees with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) as well. By working to prevent needlesticks and providing vaccines and PPE, employers can protect their workers from serious illness and possible death. (Kayla Eggert)