Approved Survey on Needle disposal

[farhaneh]

Dear All,

I am investigating how diabetics currently dispose of their needles. This is to help with devising a new efficient and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of needles at home. Therefore, if you are an insulin-dependent diabetic (type 1 or 2), please participate in a short (3-min), completely anonymous survey. Your input will be much appreciated.

To take the survey please follow the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TSBKBHD

Many thanks for your contribution!

 

[CarbsRok]

Your survey isn't relevant as in the uk needles are disposed of free of charge.

 

[Spiker]

I think the OP is aware that there are free aharps bins and free collection in the UK. So the survey is relevant.

 

[mrspuddleduck]

Survey done. For what it's worth I think it is relevant to UK as sharps bin disposal is a problem in some areas. For example, I have to travel 11 miles to the nearest pharmacy who will take them! Sue xx

 

[Spiker]

@farhaneh what do you have in mind?

 

[farhaneh]

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the survey already!

I am aware that sharps disposal is free of charge in the UK, but in my experience it is not a matter of cost but rather of convenience. I am a type 1 myself living in London, and my borough does not provide collection services, and neither my GP or pharmacy take the sharps bin back. I travel to the nearest hospital (which is quite far) every other week.

On the other hand, my sharps bin tends to get full way before I run out of my insulin, therefore instead of going to the GP to just get the sharps bins on prescription, I tend to buy them to save time. If I don't manage to go to the hospital every other week, the sharps bins pile up in my room which takes up space and frankly, is unhygienic!

I am very interested in hearing whether others face similar difficulties. The survey is not about trying to sell you a new product, but rather coming up with an innovative solution that will not require all this process (collections, sharps bins, prescriptions..etc)

 

[Spiker]

Have you seen the needle clippers that just cut the needle off and retain it? They end up producing a much lower volume of sharps waste as the remainder can be thrown in ordinary rubbish.

 

[Spiker]

This is how I dispose of needles in normal rubbish. I believe it is perfectly safe:

- Remove the pen needle from the pen, attach the new pen needle, remove the big cone shaped cover it is shipped with.

- Use the tip of the cone shaped cover to press and bend the cartridge-facing bottom needle on the old pen needle so the sharp end is bent upwards away from the opening.

- insert the old pen needle into the cone shaped cover of the new needle

The old needle can't come out of the cone shaped protector without someone using a pen or identical screw thread to remove it. That secures the top needle. The bottom needle is secured by being bent upwards and crushed. Even if someone deliberately sticks their finger up into the hole, they won't be pricked.

The whole operation takes a few seconds and I throw the old pen needle, encased in the new needle cover, in the ordinary rubbish bin.

 

[farhaneh]

You still have to place the rest of the needle in sharps bin (or sharps collector as they call it). Read the Safe Needle Disposal section on BD website:

https://www.bd.com/uk/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=14153&id=31358

The clippers are meant to reduce the risk of needle stick injuries, but they do not replace sharps bins as the remainder of the needle is still intact and could cause an injury

 

[Spiker]

You still have to place the rest of the needle in sharps bin (or sharps collector as they call it). Read the Safe Needle Disposal section on BD website:

https://www.bd.com/uk/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=14153&id=31358

The clippers are meant to reduce the risk of needle stick injuries, but they do not replace sharps bins as the remainder of the needle is still intact and could cause an injury

Oh dear sounds like the needle clippers are officially not much use then.

Having said that I am wary about taking manufacturers advice on the use of their products as they have no incentive to save us money and big incentives to cover their own liability. So they cannot be relied on for a proper cost vs risk assessment. I would trust NICE more, except when they are lazy and just take the manufacturer reccomendations.

 

[noblehead]

On the other hand, my sharps bin tends to get full way before I run out of my insulin, therefore instead of going to the GP to just get the sharps bins on prescription, I tend to buy them to save time. If I don't manage to go to the hospital every other week, the sharps bins pile up in my room which takes up space and frankly, is unhygienic!

The lids lock shut on the sharps bins so can't see there being much of a hygiene problem, I always wait until I get at least 3 sharps bins before returning them to my Dr's surgery for disposal.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Dear All,

My name is Farhana Ahmadi and I am investigating how diabetics currently dispose of their needles. This is to help with devising a new efficient and environmentally-friendly way to dispose of needles at home. Therefore, if you are an insulin-dependent diabetic (type 1 or 2), please participate in a short (3-min), completely anonymous survey. Your input will be much appreciated.

To take the survey please follow the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TSBKBHD

Many thanks for your contribution!

Farhana

Hello, just did the survey. There was a thread a while back about the disposal of sharps bin and when I said I didn't want to be walking out in the street with a full sharps bin, because of health and safety, I was basically laughed at, ridiculed, by a member who scoffed at my post.
Pathetic I know.

Good luck and all the best.

 

[misswhiplash]

Your survey isn't relevant as in the uk needles are disposed of free of charge.

Not necessarily. My GP doesn't want them and the council now want to charge me to take them away...

 

[Robinredbreast]

Not necessarily. My GP doesn't want them and the council now want to charge me to take them away...

More cutbacks, did they quote you a price ?

 

[axle 222]

Dear All,

Many thanks to all those who have responded to the survey! I have had a few enquiries regarding the research, therefore please find below a few points to clarify:

1) Purpose of research: A device is currently being prototyped that eliminates the sharpness and contamination of used pen needles/lancets. It allows you to place your used needles in the device, and after processing them the sharpness goes away. Therefore, you can safely dispose of them in a normal bin. It roughly takes up the space of a kettle and has been tested for safety to be used at home.

2) Other needle users at home: As a pilot product, it is suitable for use on insulin pen needles and lancets. More research is under way to make different versions suitable for other types of needles.

3) BD Safe Clip: I have noticed many users reply by stating they use the BD Safe-clip. According to information I have received from my healthcare team (and on BD website), the remainder of a needle clipped using the BD Safe-Clip still needs to go into a sharps bin. The reason is that the needle would contain your body fluids and the rear end would still be intact, and could potentially cause injury

Please let me know if you have any further questions

I like all the different thoughts on disposal. I have to return sharps bin to gp surgery who always say the same every time,is it full because it costs us a lot of money to dispose of for you!!!! As if I have a choice,pharmacy won't take back......
In complete contrast I use a size 4 huge sharps bucket supplied by a hospital for other medical conditions,( can't put diabetic bits in it). Just wish surgery would supply larger containers as those little boxes fill so quick and then I get my "lecture" again....

 

[Claire007]

Still haven't found anywhere to take my sharps. I was diagnosed in May and I now have four full sharps bins. My GP refused saying they don't have a licence, my DSN wrote to my GP asking them to advise what to do and I basically got the most ridiculous copy & paste nonsensical letter from my GP yesterday, including how midwives should not accept sharps. I am not pregnant, I do not need to know this!
The letter says 'we don't have an answer' basically & take them to your hospital. The hospital refuse to take them too.
I'm going to ask my DSn how to escalate and make a complaint.

 

[misswhiplash]

More cutbacks, did they quote you a price ?

Annoyingly not - they pretty much just said no.

 

[farhaneh]

I had a similar problem. One day I spent 3 hours going from pharmacy to pharmacy in my area, none would take them. I finally took them back to the hospital and they took them, but it is quite far I hate travelling there all the time

 

[Dillinger]

The whole operation takes a few seconds and I throw the old pen needle, encased in the new needle cover, in the ordinary rubbish bin.

Same here I don't want 'Bio Hazard' boxes in my house... The whole sharps bin process is preposterously complicated and I can't be bothered with it.

 

[Spiker]

Same here I don't want 'Bio Hazard' boxes in my house... The whole sharps bin process is preposterously complicated and I can't be bothered with it.

Raises a big point actually. IF the waste from this prescribed medical device is indeed "hazardous", then the NHS and the manufacturer between them are responsible for providing a usable logistics chain whereby end users can safely dispose of it. Otherwise they should not be prescribing it / issuing it.

I actually think the manufacturers have done a good job of making the pen needles "self securing" if you just put a new pen needle cover on the old one before you chuck it. And particularly if you also crush up the lower needle as I described above. Even if you don't, a person would have to push their finger directly into the opening, quite forcefully, to get a fingerstick injury.