In the developing world, needles in a medical setting are often reused due to the scarcity of resources. However, reusing old (and possibly contaminated) needles increases the risk of HIV transmission. There was a need for a single-use, safe syringe in order to ensure safe injections.
Detailed description of the solution
The Uniject is a single-use needle, designed with a pre-filled drug delivery container that cannot be refilled. This type of needle is effective in preventing "needle sharing" because it can only be used once and provides a sterile injection each time. It is also user-friendly in that medical personnel can be trained to use the Uniject in under two hours (PATH, n.d.). It is compact, convenient, easy to store and increases dosage precision.
Designed by
- Designed by: This device was designed by PATH.
- Manufacturer (if different): It is licensed and manufactured by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD).
When and where it was tested/implemented
This device was tested in Argentina (Althabe, 2011), Angola (Strand, 2005), Indonesia ("Cost", 2003) and Vietnam ("Oxytocin", 2003).
Funding Source
This device has received funding from USAID, BD and UNICEF.
References
Peer-reviewed publication
Althabe, F., Mazzoni, A., Cafferata, M. L., Gibbons, L., Karolinski, A., Armbruster, D., et al.(2011). Using Uniject to increase the use of prophylactic oxytocin for management of the third stage of labor in Latin America. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 114, 184-189.
Strand, R. T., Silva, F. D., Jangsten, E., & Bergstrom, S. (2005). Postpartum hemorrhage: a prospective, comparative study in Angola using a new disposable device for oxytocin administration. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 84, 260-265.
Tsu, V. D., Levin, C., Tran, M. P., Huang, M. V., & Luu, H. T. (2009). Cost-effectiveness analysis of active management of third-stage labour in Vietnam. Health Policy and Planning, 24, 438-444.
Tsu, V., Sutanto, A., Vaidya, K., Coffey, P., & Widjaya, A. (2003). Oxytocin in prefilled Uniject injection devices for managing third-stage labor in Indonesia. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 83, 103-111.
Other internally generated reports
PATH: Uniject. (n.d.). PATH: A catalyst for global health. Retrieved October 21, 2012. Link available here.
UniJect. (n.d.). BD. Retrieved October 21, 2012. PDF available here.