Odds are, over the course of your lifetime you’ll know someone who administers self-injections for medical reasons, if you don’t already do it yourself.
That’s because there is an increasing number of people who give themselves injections at home. In fact, according to Betty Cottongim, an education specialist with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, “We’re at the pinnacle of people using needles at home. It’s probably the highest it’s ever been.”
Doctors are green-lighting more and more people to inject at home for a variety of different ailments and chronic illnesses, including allergies, diabetes, migraines, erectile dysfunction and reproductive issues. But that doesn’t mean cleanliness and safety can go out the window when you’re outside of a hospital or doctor’s office setting.
On the contrary, cleanliness and safety are crucial when you’re giving yourself injections at home.
The biggest risk when administering at-home injections is harm to self and harm to others, Cottongim said.
“We have to make sure that the needles our patients are using at home are used correctly and designated just for them and aren’t being reused or shared with anyone else,” she said.
Sharing or improperly disposing of needles could pose a health hazard to many, including family members and sanitation workers. They could be inadvertently stuck by the needle, which could lead to the transmission of serious diseases such as Hepatitis B and AIDS.
To dispose of needles properly, don’t throw them in the trash, flush them down the toilet or put them in your recycling bin ““ they’re not recyclable. Instead, make sure you dispose of them in a heavy-duty plastic container with a tight-fitting, puncture-proof and leak-resistant lid.
At minimum, most doctor’s offices will tell people to put used needles in a milk jug or laundry detergent container that you can put a cap on and bring in to exchange at the office, Cottongim said.
Also, Cottongim said, practice good hygiene when administering self-injections. Hand washing before and after is critical, as is using a clean surface and wiping the surface off with a disinfectant wipe after use.
