Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Dec 19:5:136.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-5-136.

Safer injections following a new national medicine policy in the public sector, Burkina Faso 1995-2000

Affiliations

Safer injections following a new national medicine policy in the public sector, Burkina Faso 1995-2000

Sophie Logez et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The common failure of health systems to ensure adequate and sufficient supplies of injection devices may have a negative impact on injection safety. We conducted an assessment in April 2001 to determine to which extent an increase in safe injection practices between 1995 and 2000 was related to the increased access to injection devices because of a new essential medicine policy in Burkina Faso.

Methods: We reviewed outcomes of the new medicine policy implemented in 1995. In April 2001, a retrospective programme review assessed the situation between 1995 and 2000. We visited 52 health care facilities where injections had been observed during a 2000 injection safety assessment and their adjacent operational public pharmaceutical depots. Data collection included structured observations of available injection devices and an estimation of the proportion of prescriptions including at least one injection. We interviewed wholesaler managers at national and regional levels on supply of injection devices to public health facilities.

Results: Fifty of 52 (96%) health care facilities were equipped with a pharmaceutical depot selling syringes and needles, 37 (74%) of which had been established between 1995 and 2000. Of 50 pharmaceutical depots, 96% had single-use 5 ml syringes available. At all facilities, patients were buying syringes and needles out of the depot for their injections prescribed at the dispensary. While injection devices were available in greater quantities, the proportion of prescriptions including at least one injection remained stable between 1995 (26.5%) and 2000 (23.8%).

Conclusion: The implementation of pharmaceutical depots next to public health care facilities increased geographical access to essential medicines and basic supplies, among which syringes and needles, contributing substantially to safer injection practices in the absence of increased use of therapeutic injections.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sequence of the injection safety assessments in Burkina Faso that led to the programme review reported in this article, 1995–2001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of 52 health care facilities visited in 2001 that were equipped with a functional pharmaceutical depot, 1990 – 2000, Burkina Faso. (Assessed through asking the date of opening of the pharmaceutical depot in each of the health care facilities visited).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Official retail price of 2 ml, 5 ml and 10 ml syringes and needles set, 1997 – 2000, at pharmaceutical depots, Burkina Faso (obtained from the national wholesaler).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Rational drug use indicators during the months of June in 52 primary health care facilities of Burkina Faso visited in 2001, 1995–2000 (30 prescriptions reviewed in each facility, n = number of health care facilities for which data was available, year by year).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Hutin YJ, Hauri AM, Armstrong GL. Use of injections in health care setting worldwide, 2000: literature review and regional estimates. BMJ. 2003;327:1075. doi: 10.1136/bmj.327.7423.1075. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hauri A, Armstrong G, Hutin Y. The global burden of disease attributable to contaminated injections given in health care settings. Int J STD and AIDS. 2004;15:7–16. doi: 10.1258/095646204322637182. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Logez S, Hutin Y, Holloway K, Gray R, Hogerzeil HV. Could the WHO model list of essential medicines do more for the safe and appropriate use of injections? J Clin Pharmacol. 2004;44:1106–13. doi: 10.1177/0091270004268410. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dicko M, Oni A-Q, Ganivet S, Kone S, Pierre L, Jacquet B. Safety of immunization injections in Africa: not simply a problem of logistics. Bull World Health Organ. 2000;78:163–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO-UNICEF-UNFPA Joint statement on the use of auto-disable syringes in immunization services. Geneva: World Health Organization, WHO document WHO/V&B/99.25; 1999.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances