What do the needles, syringes, lancets and reagent strips of diabetic patients become in the absence of a common attitude? About 1070 questionnaires in diabetic clinics

The aim was to investigate the fate of injection and monitoring material af ter its use by diabetic patients in different countries (France, Belgium, L uxemburg, Switzerland and Tunisia). Some suitable containers are available for disposal but little is known about the attitudes of patients and physic ians to them. 1 070 questionnaires were completed by patients (age: 50 +/- 18 years; diabetes duration: 15 +/- 11 years; 2.8 +/- 1.1 injections per da y) visiting 109 doctors. Injections were done at home (72.6%), or both at h ome and at work (26.6%). At home: needles, syringes, lancets and reagent st rips were thrown directly into the bin in 46.9%, 49.9%, 52.2% and 67.6% of cases, respectively; and in a closed plastic bottle in 29.6%, 28.5%, 28.9% and 19.9% of cases, respectively. Specific containers were used in 8.6% and 6.3% of cases for needles and syringes, respectively. 62% of the bottles a nd containers were thrown directly into the bin, whereas 15.5% were returne d to a pharmacy (4.5% taken to hospitals, 2.9% were burned). At work: 63% o f the patients brought their needles and syringes home for disposal, 6.9% k ept suitable containers at work a nd 30% threw their materials directly int o local bins. We conclude that awareness should be increased and the organi zation of the collection of used material improved.