Increasing education on injection safety, enforcing clinical policies and monitoring adherence can help hospitals curb unsafe injection practices, according to Pharmacy Times.
Harmful infection practices have affected about 150,000 patients since 2001 and caused about 50 documented outbreaks of bacterial infections or viral hepatitis, according to the CDC.
Here are three ways hospitals can promote safe injection practices, as cited by Pharmacy Times:
1. Educate nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with an initial orientation and an annual training on safe infection practices. Hospitals should "assess and reinforce practitioner competence associated with even the most basic concepts of infection control and aseptic technique," according to Pharmacy Times.
2. Review policies and procedures related to safe injection practices, ensuring they coincide with current federal practice guidelines.
3. Monitor employees' adherence to proper injection techniques in all relevant healthcare settings to help identify unsafe injection practices or instances of syringe reuse.
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
Congo reports 24 Ebola deaths in 1 week
Weight loss among obese patients presurgery not linked to lower perioperative mortality
Source of 127 polio-like illness is still a mystery, CDC says