First ever guidelines for injecting insulin
Manoj Gopalakrishna, managing director of BD India, said, “Insulin treatment is the most important way for blood glucose control, but the inappropriate injection skill compromises its effectiveness. According to the guidelines the needle length for children and adolescents should be 4, 5 or 6 mm; adults including obese patients too can use 4,5 and 6 mm needle length. Ideally needles should not be reused and an easy to follow rotation scheme should be taught to patients from the onset of injection therapy. Pre-injection assessment and counselling has been advised apart from specific storage guidelines that have also been given.”
THE RIGHT WAY
Check insulin vial for type and expiry date
Ensure that right insulin syringe is used with the right strength of insulin in use (eg 100U vial with 100U insulin syringe)
During initial step of drawing insulin, air equivalent to the dose should be drawn up first and injected into the vial
If air bubbles are seen in the syringe, tap the barrel to bring them to the top and then remove bubbles by slowly pushing up plunger
If it is cloudy insulin, mix it by rolling between the palms 20 times till the solution is clear or mix uniformly, but do not shake
Syringes should ideally be used only once and never be reused
Dispose of syringes safely after use
The injection site should
