Evaluation of Drug Wastage in the Operating Rooms and Intensive Care Units of a Regional Health Service.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological treatments for critical processes in patients need to be initiated as rapidly as possible; for this reason, it is a standard of care to prepare the main anesthesia and emergency drugs in advance. As a result, 20%-50% of the prepared drugs remain unused and are then discarded. Decreasing waste by optimizing drug use is an attractive strategy for meeting both cost containment and environmental sustainability. The primary end point of this study was to measure the actual amount of drug wastage in the operating rooms (ORs) and intensive care units (ICUs) of a Regional Health Service (RHS). The secondary end point was to analyze and estimate the economic implications of this waste for the Health Service and to suggest possible measures to reduce it. METHODS: This prospective observational multicenter study was conducted across 12 hospitals, all of which belong to the same RHS in the north-east of Italy. Data collection took place in March 2018 and included patients admitted to ICUs, emergency areas, and ORs of the participating hospitals. Data concerning drug preparation and administration were collected for all consecutive patients, independent of case types and of whether operations were scheduled or unscheduled. Drug wastage was defined as follows: drugs prepared in ready-to-use syringes but not administered at all and discarded untouched. We then estimated the costs of wasted drugs for a 1-year period using the data from this study and the yearly regional pharmacy orders of drugs provided to the ORs and ICUs. We also performed a sensitivity analysis to validate the robustness of our assumptions and qualitative conclusions. RESULTS: We collected data for a total of 13,078 prepared drug syringes. Drug wastage varied from 7.8% (Urapidil, an alpha-1 antagonist antihypertensive) to 85.7% (epinephrine) of prepared syringes, with an overall mean wastage rate of 38%. The estimated yearly waste was 139,531 syringes, for a total estimated financial cost of €78,060 ($92,569), and an additional quantity of medical waste amounting to 4968 kg per year. The total provider time dedicated to the preparation of unused drugs was predicted to be 1512 working hours per year. CONCLUSIONS: The overall extent of drug wastage in ORs and ICUs is concerning. Interventions aimed at minimizing waste-related costs and improving the environmental sustainability of our practice are paramount. Effort should be put into designing a more efficient workflow that reduces this waste while providing for the emergency availability of these medications in the OR and ICU.

The association between insurance coverage for insulin pen needles and healthcare resource utilization among insulin-dependent patients with diabetes in China.

BACKGROUND: Pen needles are an important component of insulin delivery among patients with diabetes, but are not universally covered in China. We compared clinical and economic characteristics of insulin-dependent patients in China who have some level of pen needle (PN) reimbursement to those with no PN reimbursement. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 insulin users with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes treated in outpatient endocrinology units of four large tertiary care hospitals in Nanjing, Chongqing, Beijing and Zhengzhou. Demographics, medical history, healthcare resource utilization (RU), out-of-pocket costs, insurance and PN reimbursement status were surveyed. Unit costs were assigned to healthcare RU and compared using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression models. RESULTS: A total of 400 patients were analyzed; 142 (35.5%) with some level of PN coverage/reimbursement and 258 (64.5%) without. Patients without PN reimbursement had a higher prevalence of lipohypertrophy (59.3% vs. 40.7%, p = 0.0007), greater median PN reuse (12 vs. 7 times per needle, p < 0.0001), greater 6-month insulin costs (1591 vs. 1328 Renminbi [RMB], p = 0.0025) and total unadjusted 6-month expenditures (6433 vs. 4432 RMB, p < 0.0001), respectively. After controlling for clinical and demographic characteristics, patients without PN reimbursement had 4.6 times greater odds of high costs compared to those with PN reimbursement. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin users without PN reimbursement may pose a greater economic burden to China compared to those with PN reimbursement. Expansion of insurance coverage for insulin PNs can improve the quality of care and potentially help reduce the economic burden in this population.

Botulinum Toxin Therapy: Is Syringe Type Related to Cost-Effectiveness?

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium botulinum toxin is effective through cleaving presynaptic proteins at the neuromuscular junction, which prevents the release of acetylcholine and inhibits muscle contraction. Several serotypes of botulinum toxin (BT) exist; however, only 2 types have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for commercial and medical use, A and B. Both types of BT must be administered intramuscularly with a syringe, but the type of syringe is the injector's preference. Which syringe type is most efficient in minimizing product waste and most cost-effective for the patient and provider? METHODS: We performed a single-center, open-label, analytical study using BT therapy and 2 types of syringes for analytics of cost-effectiveness. OnabotulinumtoxinA was the neuromodulator used in this report. Vials (100 U) of BT A were each reconstituted with 2.5 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride, for a final concentration of 4 U/0.1 mL. High-dead-space syringes are compared with low-dead-space syringes: 1-mL tuberculin (TB) luer slip syringe with detachable 25-gauge needle and 1-mL ultrafine insulin syringe with an attached 31-gauge needle, respectively. After each syringe was evacuated, the TB syringe was noted to contain 0.05 mL of the remaining product in the hub. RESULTS: Providers are discarding approximately 2 U of BT per TB syringe product injection. If the physician uses 30 syringes per day, 3 days a week, for 1 year, it equals to a lost revenue of approximately $155,500 per year. To individualize the cost-effective analysis, average quantity of syringes used per patient and overall patient volume must be considered, with corresponding adjustment of cost and units discarded. DISCUSSION: The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that the use of neuromodulators has increased by approximately 797% from 2000 to 2016. During that period, the price of neuromodulators has also increased by approximately 85%. Considering these statistics, the type of syringe used for BT neuromodular injection is a thought-provoking concept but surrounded by a paucity of data. Overall, our data suggest that the use of ultrafine insulin syringes for injection of BT reduces product waste and is cost-effective for the patient and the provider.

Evaluation of a low-cost, low-power syringe pump to deliver magnesium sulfate intravenously to pre-eclamptic women in a Malawian referral hospital.

BACKGROUND: Magnesium sulfate is an affordable and effective treatment for pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. In settings where infusion pumps are not available to regulate the flow rate of intravenous delivery, healthcare providers must administer magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) via time-consuming and painful, large-volume intramuscular injections. As an alternative to costly commercially available syringe pumps, we developed AutoSyp, an accurate, low-cost, and low-powered syringe pump designed to meet the needs and constraints these low-resource settings. This paper describes results of a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of using AutoSyp to administer MgSO4 intravenously to women suffering from pre-eclampsia at a referral hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. METHODS: AutoSyp was programmed to deliver MgSO4 following the Zuspan regimen to pregnant and post-partum women suffering from pre-eclampsia at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blatnyre, Malawi. Given the selection of either loading or maintenance dose on AutoSyp's user interface, the flow rate was automatically programmed to dispense 60 mL/h or 5 mL/h of 20% MgSO4 solution, respectively. During each treatment, the dispensed volume was automatically calculated by the device based on the plunger position and stored on a computer for accuracy analysis of the mean flow rate and total volume delivered. The clinical results for both the loading and maintenance dose administrations were compared to the device's accuracy during tests performed in the laboratory setting. RESULTS: Twenty-two women were enrolled in this study. In both the clinical and laboratory settings, the mean flow rate errors for the loading and maintenance dose infusions were under 2%. During 466 h of testing, the device sounded 129 occlusion alarms across 14 subjects. Of these, 71 alarms were false positives. CONCLUSION: Results of this study support the use of AutoSyp as a less painful and accurate means of MgSO4 administration in clinical environments that lack infusion systems. There were a large number of false alarms in the current system which will be addressed in future designs. AutoSyp maintains the comfort of intravenous MgSO4 administration, but unlike commercially available syringe pumps, it is capable of operating with a variety of syringe brands and sizes and requires no additional consumables. AutoSyp's appropriate design will benefit its implementation and sustained use in low-resource settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registered prospectively on November 18, 2014 with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02296931 ).

Self-reported participation in voluntary nonprescription syringe sales in California's Central Valley.

OBJECTIVES: California Senate Bill 41 (SB41), effective January 2012, is a human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus prevention measure designed to expand syringe access among injection drug users (IDUs) by allowing pharmacies to sell syringes without a prescription. This study assesses self-reported implementation of SB41 and characterizes barriers amenable to intervention. DESIGN: Interviewer-administered survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Fresno and Kern Counties, CA. Pharmacists and other pharmacy staff (n = 404) at 212 pharmacies. OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-reported nonprescription pharmacy sales to known or suspected IDUs. RESULTS: Overall, 29.3% of participants said their pharmacy would sell nonprescription syringes to a known or suspected IDU, whereas a far higher proportion (79.3%) would sell nonprescription syringes to a person with diabetes. More than one-half said that their pharmacy requires nonprescription syringe purchasers to enter their signature and name and address in a log book although that is not required under SB41. Fewer than 2 out of 3 participants (61.1%) knew that it is legal to sell nonprescription syringes to IDUs. That knowledge, as well as having syringe sales practices based on both store policy and discretion, were positively associated with IDU syringe sales after controlling for other factors. Working at an independent pharmacy, agreeing that only people with "medical conditions" such as diabetes should be able to buy syringes, and viewing syringe sales to IDUs as "not good business" were independently but negatively associated with IDU syringe sales. CONCLUSION: This study complements an earlier syringe purchase trial documenting low participation in voluntary nonprescription syringe sales under SB41 in Fresno and Kern Counties. In the absence of legislation requiring mandatory syringe sales, interventions should be developed to increase knowledge of the law and frame addiction as a medical condition, with a special focus on independent pharmacies. Informational interventions should stress the need to eliminate log book documentation requirements, which may serve as a barrier to IDU purchase.

Estimated economic impact of pre-filled ephedrine syringes in the operating room.

BACKGROUND: Syringes of ephedrine are usually prepared ahead of time in order to reduce the time to injection. Commercial pre-filled syringes of ephedrine have been introduced to minimize the amount of waste. Our primary objective was to determine the economic impact of commercial syringes. We hypothesized that costs could be reduced compared to standard syringes. METHODS: Using data extracted from our medical records system, we retrospectively measured the total dose of ephedrine received per patient in 2013 to estimate the number of administered standard syringes. The proportion of administered standard syringes was calculated as the total number of administered standard syringes divided by the number of delivered ampoules in 2013. Thereafter, we calculated the annual cost difference as the difference between the cost for commercial syringes and the cost for standard syringes. Endpoints were calculated overall and for each operating room. RESULTS: At least one dose of ephedrine was given in 19,422 patients (44,943 administrations). The overall proportion of administered standard syringes was estimated to 52.8%. The threshold proportion of administered standard syringes for which commercial syringes would add no extra cost was 20.4%. In 30/32 operating rooms, the proportion of administered standard syringes was higher than 20.4%. The overall cost increase with commercial syringes was estimated to 51,567 €. Among operating rooms, incremental costs varied between -703 and 5086 €. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, pre-filled ephedrine commercial syringes do not appear to reduce costs.

Nonprescription syringe sales: a missed opportunity for HIV prevention in California.

OBJECTIVE: To assess implementation of California Senate Bill SB41 in two inland California counties where prevalence of injection drug use is among the highest in the nation. DESIGN: Syringe purchase trial. SETTING: Fresno and Kern counties, California. PARTICIPANTS: All 248 community pharmacies in the counties. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Successful or unsuccessful syringe purchase attempt. RESULTS: Only 52 (21.0%) syringe purchase attempts were successful. The proportion of successful attempts did not vary by county or by data collector ethnicity. The most common reasons for unsuccessful syringe purchase attempts were prescription requirements (45.7%), the requested syringe size was not available (10.7%), and the pharmacy did not sell syringes (9.7%). In addition, some syringe purchase attempts (4.1%) were unsuccessful because the data collector was asked to purchase more syringes than allowed by law. Although 80% and 78% of Fresno and Kern residents, respectively, live within a 5-minute drive of a community pharmacy, less than one-half live within a 5-minute drive of a community pharmacy that sold syringes. CONCLUSION: SB41 has not resulted in broad pharmacy-based syringe access in California's inland counties, where a disproportionate number of cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are associated with injection drug use. Additional steps by legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, and professional organizations are needed to actively engage pharmacies in expanding nonprescription syringe sales to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users.

Thyroid fine needle aspiration specimen adequacy: a noninferiority study and cost-effectiveness comparison of puncture needles.

Needle selection plays a pivotal role in determining the success of fine needle aspiration (FNA) procedures. Two commonly utilized puncture needles for thyroid FNA are the conventional syringe needle and the stylet needle. Syringe needles are known for their cost-effectiveness in comparison to stylet needles. This study aimed to determine if FNA with syringe needles is non-inferior to FNA with stylet needles in terms of specimen adequacy while also comparing the direct costs associated with both needle types. A total of 220 thyroid nodules from 185 patients were prospectively included in this study. The same operator performed a total of four punctures on the same nodule twice using a syringe and a stylet needle. The results of this study show that the utilization of syringe needles for thyroid FNA was non-inferior to the use of stylet needles in terms of specimen adequacy. Cost analysis revealed that syringe needle FNA was not only less expensive (CNY 500.9 versus CNY 780) but also more effective (adequacy 85.91% versus 84.55%). In summary, given the global prevalence of FNA procedures, the economic considerations are paramount, and our findings support the routine use of syringe needles in thyroid FNA.

Pharmacy syringe purchase test of nonprescription syringe sales in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2010.

The two main legal sources of clean needles for illicit injection drug users (IDUs) in California are syringe exchange programs (SEPs) and nonprescription syringe sales (NPSS) at pharmacies. In 2004, California became one of the last states to allow NPSS. To evaluate the implementation of NPSS and the California Disease Prevention Demonstration Project (DPDP), we conducted syringe purchase tests in San Francisco (SF) and Los Angeles (LA) between March and July of 2010. Large differences in implementation were observed in the two cities. In LA, less than one-quarter of the enrolled pharmacies sold syringes to our research assistant (RA), and none sold a single syringe. The rate of successful purchase in LA is the lowest reported in any syringe purchase test. In both sites, there was notable variation among the gauge size available, and price and quantity of syringes required for a purchase. None of the DPDP pharmacies in LA or SF provided the requisite health information. The findings suggest that more outreach needs to be conducted with pharmacists and pharmacy staff. The pharmacies' failure to disseminate the educational materials may result in missed opportunities to provide needed harm reduction information to IDUs. The varied prices and required quantities may serve as a barrier to syringe access among IDUs. Future research needs to examine reasons why pharmacies do not provide the mandated information, whether the omission of disposal options is indicative of pharmacies' reluctance to serve as disposal sites, and if the dual opt-in approach of NPSS/DPDP is a barrier to pharmacy enrollment.

Access to syringes for HIV prevention for injection drug users in St. Petersburg, Russia: syringe purchase test study.

BACKGROUND: The HIV epidemic in Russia is concentrated among injection drug users (IDUs). This is especially true for St. Petersburg where high HIV incidence persists among the city's estimated 80,000 IDUs. Although sterile syringes are legally available, access for IDUs may be hampered. To explore the feasibility of using pharmacies to expand syringe access and provide other prevention services to IDUs, we investigated the current access to sterile syringes at the pharmacies and the correlation between pharmacy density and HIV prevalence in St. Petersburg. METHODS: 965 pharmacies citywide were mapped, classified by ownership type, and the association between pharmacy density and HIV prevalence at the district level was tested. We selected two districts among the 18 districts--one central and one peripheral--that represented two major types of city districts and contacted all operating pharmacies by phone to inquire if they stocked syringes and obtained details about their stock. Qualitative interviews with 26 IDUs provided data regarding syringe access in pharmacies and were used to formulate hypotheses for the pharmacy syringe purchase test wherein research staff attempted to purchase syringes in all pharmacies in the two districts. RESULTS: No correlation was found between the density of pharmacies and HIV prevalence at the district level. Of 108 operating pharmacies, 38 (35%) did not sell syringes of the types used by IDUs; of these, half stocked but refused to sell syringes to research staff, and the other half did not stock syringes at all. Overall 70 (65%) of the pharmacies did sell syringes; of these, 49 pharmacies sold single syringes without any restrictions and 21 offered packages of ten. CONCLUSIONS: Trainings for pharmacists need to be conducted to reduce negative attitudes towards IDUs and increase pharmacists' willingness to sell syringes. At a structural level, access to safe injection supplies for IDUs could be increased by including syringes in the federal list of mandatory medical products sold by pharmacies.

Demographic, risk, and spatial factors associated with over-the-counter syringe purchase among injection drug users.

Since 2005, California law allowed over-the-counter (OTC) syringe sales pending local authorization. Although pharmacy sales of OTC syringes are associated with reduced injection-mediated risks and decreases in human immunodeficiency virus infection rates, little is known about the factors associated with syringe purchase among injection drug users (IDUs). Using a cross-sectional design, the authors applied targeted sampling to collect quantitative survey data from IDUs (n = 563) recruited in San Francisco, California, during 2008. They also compiled a comprehensive list of retail pharmacies, their location, and whether they sell OTC syringes. They used a novel combination of geographic information system and statistical analyses to determine the demographic, behavioral, and spatial factors associated with OTC syringe purchase by IDUs. In multivariate analyses, age, race, injection frequency, the type of drug injected, and the source of syringe supply were independently associated with OTC syringe purchases. Notably, the prevalence of OTC syringe purchase was 53% lower among African-American IDUs (adjusted prevalence ratio = 0.47, 95% confidence interval: 0.33, 0.67) and higher among injectors of methamphetamine (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 1.70). Two neighborhoods with high densities of IDUs had limited access to OTC syringes. Increased access to OTC syringes would potentially prevent blood-borne infectious diseases among IDUs.

Comparison of one-year costs of type 2 diabetes treatment with insulin glargine or insulin detemir in a basal supported oral therapy (BOT) in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: A one-year cost analysis comparing basal insulin analogues glargine (IG, Lantus) versus detemir (ID, Levemir) in combination with oral antidiabetic drugs (basal supported oral therapy; BOT) in insulin naive Type 2 diabetes patients in Germany based on the results of a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT). The trial demonstrated equivalent treatment efficacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total direct diabetes treatment costs were estimated from the perspective of the German statutory health insurance (SHI) for the time horizon of one-year. Simulated resources included medication (insulin, oral antidiabetic drugs) and consumable items (needles, blood glucose test strips and lancets). Initial and final insulin doses per kg body weight and proportion of patients with once/twice daily insulin injection were taken from the above mentioned RCT. Unit costs were taken from official German price lists and sources. Deterministic-(DTA) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) on resource use and unit costs were performed to test robustness of the results. RESULTS: Average annual treatment costs per patient (base case) were euro 849 for glargine and euro 1,334 for detemir resulting in cost savings of euro 486 per patient per year (36%). Costs of insulins were euro 469 (IG) and euro 746 (ID). Costs of consumable items amounted at euro 380 (IG) and euro 588 (ID) respectively. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the findings in favor of insulin glargine. PSA results found cost savings ranging from euro 429 to euro 608 (5th/95th percentiles). CONCLUSIONS: The current model estimated that insulin glargine was associated with lower annual treatment costs of euro 486 (36%) compared to the use of insulin detemir while the same glycemic control is expected to be achieved.

Adverse event associated with a change in nonprescription syringe sale policy.

OBJECTIVE: To report and describe the possible correlation of a change in syringe sale policy at a community pharmacy with an adverse clinical outcome. SETTING: Providence, RI, in summer 2009. PATIENT DESCRIPTION: 27-year-old white woman with a long-standing history of chronic relapsing opiate addiction and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection. CASE SUMMARY: The patient presented to the hospital emergency department with 5 days of severe diffuse pain, swelling in her hands and feet, and several days of rigors with fevers, sweats, and chills. She was diagnosed with sepsis resulting from a disseminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotics, neurosurgical drainage of an epidural abscess, intensive care unit care for 1 week, and acute hospitalization for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Not applicable. RESULTS: A few weeks before the patient was hospitalized, pharmacists at her local neighborhood pharmacy decided to stop selling syringes in packages of 10. Instead, syringes were sold at a minimum quantity of 100. The patient did not know where to obtain sterile syringes and began reusing syringes. CONCLUSION: The patient introduced pathogenic bacteria from her skin into her bloodstream through unsafe injection practices. The change in syringe sale policy at her local pharmacy likely inadvertently contributed to this severe and life-threatening situation. Consideration of the implications of syringe sale policy must include an understanding of the barriers that influence individual pharmacist's decisions regarding particular store policies that affect over-the-counter syringe sales. Legalized sale of nonprescription syringes in community pharmacies alone is not enough to curb the epidemic of unsafe injection practices in the United States. All medical risks that are inherent in the use of unsafe syringes, including blood-borne viral pathogens (e.g., HIV, HCV) and bacterial infections (e.g., MRSA), should be considered.

Reduced drug costs from switching hemodialysis patients from epoetin alfa in multidose vials to pre-filled syringes.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate epoetin alfa drug costs in hemodialysis (HD) patients after a province-wide switch from multidose vials (MDV) to prefilled syringes (PFS). METHODS: A retrospective study of epoetin alfa drug costs and estimated doses based on these costs during a six-month period of MDV usage (2007) were compared to a PFS usage period (2008). Data were collected from quarterly counts of HD patients receiving epoetin alfa in the Manitoba Renal Program (MRP) and monthly inventory billing records. RESULTS: 756 patients who received epoetin alfa MDV were compared to 799 patients who received epoetin alfa PFS. Average weekly dose calculated from drug costs was 13,282 units (MDV) versus 11,689 units (PFS). Average weekly costs were $195.71 (MDV) versus $183.23 (PFS). This translated to an estimated $12.48 per patient per week in savings ($518,519 annual savings across the Manitoba Renal Program). CONCLUSION: The switch from epoetin alfa MDV to epoetin alfa PFS realized cost savings, likely as a result of reduced drug wastage.

[Estimated operational costs of vaccination campaign to combat yellow fever in Abidjan]. / Coûts de la riposte vaccinate contre la fièvre jaune à Abidjan, 2001.

A cost effectiveness study was conducted with the main objective to assess the operational costs of a vaccination campaign against yellow fever organised and implemented in Abidjan from September 21st to October 2nd, 2001. The study was carried out from the perspective of the health authorities. Data was collected retrospectively on all information related to resources needed and required activities. The justification of the monetary value of resources was provided with written proof and receipts as well as other supporting documents. The coverage achieved was 91.33% with 2 584 360 doses of vaccine having been administered. Spending on vaccines and vaccine supplies amounted to 1 123 177 128 FCFA; the average cost per dose was 539.40 FCFA. Human resource costs amounted to 2590 people who were mobilized for a total cost of 125 678 400 FCFA. The total operational cost of the vaccination campaign was 1 394 010 829 FCFA. Vaccines and supplies were the largest item of expenditure, or 80.57% of the total spent. The results of this study could serve as a tool for decision-making related to funding a vaccination campaign. Taking account of these results could contribute to the development of strategies to effectively reduce the operational cost of a vaccination campaign.

Estimated cost of comprehensive syringe service program in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost of establishing and operating a comprehensive syringe service program (SSP) free to clients in the United States. METHODS: We identified the major cost components of a comprehensive SSP: (one-time start-up cost, and annual costs associated with personnel, operations, and prevention/medical services) and estimated the anticipated total costs (2016 US dollars) based on program size (number of clients served each year) and geographic location of the service (rural, suburban, and urban). RESULTS: The estimated costs ranged from $0.4 million for a small rural SSP (serving 250 clients) to $1.9 million for a large urban SSP (serving 2,500 clients), of which 1.6% and 0.8% is the start-up cost of a small rural and large urban SSP, respectively. Cost per syringe distributed varied from $3 (small urban SSP) to $1 (large rural SSP), and cost per client per year varied from $2000 (small urban SSP) to $700 (large rural SSP). CONCLUSIONS: Estimates of the cost of SSPs in the United States vary by number of clients served and geographic location of service. Accurate costing can be useful for planning programs, developing policy, allocating funds for establishing and supporting SSPs, and providing data for economic evaluation of SSPs.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the use of safety-engineered syringes in reducing HBV, HCV, and HIV burden in Egypt.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to estimate the effects and costs of safety-engineered syringes (SS) as a prevention strategy from HBV, HCV, and HIV infections versus conventional syringes (CS). METHODS: A decision-analytic model with five health states was constructed. The clinical parameters and utilities were derived using published data. Direct medical costs from the health care system perspective were sourced from national data. All costs and effects were discounted at 3.5% annually. RESULTS: The estimate of total quality adjusted life years (QALYs) while using SS were 10.87 compared to 9.20 for the use of CS in the Egyptian population exposed to unsafe injection practices. The total costs for using SS and CS were EGP2,870 and EGP81,794 (I$1,130 and I$32,202), respectively, per 5.9 injections per person per year. Adopting SS resulted in better outcomes (difference; 1.66 QALYs) and total savings (EGP-78,924/I$-31,073) per person. CONCLUSION: Introducing SS in the Egyptian health care system might help in preventing transmission of blood-borne infections that are acquired through health care settings. The overall benefit of investing in this technology is far more than CS. These findings encourage the urgent adoption of SS by health care delivery institutions in similar resource-limited settings.