Researchers from the CDC recruited 370 physicians and 320 nurses from eight states to complete an online survey. The questions assessed acceptability and frequency of unsafe practices, such as reusing a syringe on more than one patient.
Survey results show unsafe injection practices take place across all surveyed physician specialties and nurse practice locations. Around 12.4 percent of physicians and 3 percent of nurses indicated syringes were reused for more than one patient in their workplace. Nearly 5 percent of physicians indicated this practice “usually or always occurs.”
“There is a dangerous minority of providers violating basic standards of care; practice patterns may vary by provider group and specialty,” study authors concluded.
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