ArticleAsia Pacific family medicine2018
Practices related to sharps disposal among diabetic patients in Sri Lanka.
Article in Asia Pacific family medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Status of waste disposal of sharps outside medical institutions for patients with diabetes: A systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- The effect of an educational program on the knowledge and practices of diabetic patients regarding sharps waste disposal at home.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Development of a Scale to Assess the Safe Disposal of Insulin Pen Needles in Patients With Diabetes: A Delphi Study.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Mitigating the environmental effects of healthcare: the role of the endocrinologist.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025Review
- Localization of the questionnaire about sharps disposal at home among diabetes based on knowledge, attitude, and practice theory, and a cross-sectional survey of current conditions.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices of sharps waste disposal by diabetic patients in rural South Africa.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2023Article
- Factors Associated with Improving Appropriate Medical Sharps Disposal Practice Among Diabetic Patients Using Insulin Therapy.F1000Research · 2023Article
- Medical sharps in Portugal: a cross-sectional survey of disposal practices among the diabetic population.BMJ open · 2022Article
- At-home disposal practices of used insulin needles among patients with diabetes in China: A single-center, cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Toward safe environment: injection device disposal among diabetic patients attending tertiary care academic clinic in Middle Delta, Egypt.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Article
- Disposal of Used Pens and Needles from Diabetes Patients Perspective.Materia socio-medica · 2020Article
- The insulin sharps disposal study: Evaluation of a structured patient education initiative in an urban community health centre in India.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2020Article
- Effectiveness of Diabetes Community Sharp Disposal Education Module in Primary Care: An Experimental Study in North-East Peninsular Malaysia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPatients with diabetes on insulin therapy use sharps (e.g., needles) on a regular basis and a considerable proportion of them, within their home environments. These sharps and other bloodstained materials, if not disposed of appropriately has the potential to be a public health hazard.
objectiveOur objective was to explore the practices related to sharps disposal among patients with diabetes from North Colombo Teaching Hospital (CNTH), Ragama, Sri Lanka.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study on 158 patients with diabetes from the CNTH. Patients had to use sharps for the daily management of their disease for inclusion into the study group. Data were collected on sharps disposal practices using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Clinic records were also used as a secondary data source.
resultsMost patients, 153/158 (96.8%) used syringes to inject insulin. Forty-three patients (27%) involved others (e.g., family) when disposing of sharps. Used sharps were commonly disposed to the household garbage bin by 66 participants (41.7%). Other methods used for sharps disposal were: sharps container, toilet pit, household garbage dump and indiscriminate measures. Importantly most patients, 147 (93%) had received no information on how to dispose of sharps after usage.
conclusionPatients commonly used unsafe practices in home-based sharps disposal. These included disposing of in the household garbage bin, burning sharps in the household garbage dump and disposing of into the common garbage dump of the community. Being male and being > 60 years of age was associated with a higher dependence on family members for sharps disposal. Patient education and public resources for sharps handling can help improve this situation.
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