N.Y. aims to prevent unsafe injections

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ALBANY, N.Y., March 11 (UPI) -- The goal of the New York One & Only Campaign is to re-educate healthcare workers on safe injection practices and get patients to ask questions, officials say.

Dr. Nirav R. Shah said he encouraged New York state healthcare providers to ensure that they are following correct infection control procedures when administering injections to patients.

Shah said select incidents of providers failing to follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "2007 Standard Precautions" illustrate the need for diligence in preparing and administering injections safely.

The Safe Injection Practices Coalition, a group of healthcare-related organizations including the CDC indicated since 2001, more than 150,000 patients in the U.S. were told they may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or human immunodeficiency virus because providers followed unsafe injection procedures.

"As health professionals, our job is to heal, not to harm; these infections are completely preventable," Shah said in a statement. "It is imperative that those in the healthcare field redouble their efforts to ensure injected medications are administered safely."

Patients also have a right to insist on nothing less than "One Needle, One Syringe, Only One Time," which is the slogan of the national One & Only Campaign, Shah said.

In addition, Shah said he encouraged patients to talk to their healthcare provider and ask questions, such as, "What steps does your practice take to help ensure I'll receive a safe injection each and every time?"