Sharing Insulin Pens: Are You Putting Patients at Risk?

Abstract

Ease of administration, accuracy, and convenience are among the hallmark characteristics of insulin pens. These devices, which have gained popularity over the past 10 years, are designed to be used multiple times for a single person, using a new needle for each injection. Unfortunately, reports of the misuse of insulin pens also have been growing. Backflow of blood and other biologic material into the insulin cartridge or reservoir can occur after injection (1). For this reason, insulin pens, like other injection devices, must never be used by more than one person. Reports of insulin pen sharing have come from a variety of U.S. health care settings. Since 2011, there have been at least six separate incidents in which patients were contacted and given advice to test for bloodborne pathogens because individual insulin pen devices were …