Diabetes review Injection technique teaching tool

Start the conversation every time you dispense a patient’s injectable diabetes medication or pen needle. “Show/tell me how you inject your insulin. How often do you change your injection sites?”

Step 1.Use a needle length ≤5 mm

Step 2.Attach a new needle before injecting

Step 3.Properly prime the pen before injecting

• A new needle should be used for every injection.• Attach the pen needle straight onto the pen.

• Allows for simple, one-handed injection technique for insulin to be delivered into the fat layer.• Average skin thickness measures 2 mm in children and adults.1,2

• Confirm a visual drop of insulin at the tip of the needle before dialing and injecting dose.

Why?Needles are meant for single use only to avoid bending and breaking and clogging of the needle.

Why?If insulin is injected into the muscle the insulin can work too quickly, which may lead to low blood sugar.2 Shorter needles, like the BD Nano™ 4 mm pen needle, reduce the chances of injecting into muscle when using new injection areas.3

Why?Ensures that the pen needle is not blocked and that the plunger in the pen is pushing the insulin though the cartridge.

skin

fat

muscle

BD4682_1_NM_Diabetes Review leaflet_Final_AW.indd 1 06/12/2017 11:29

Other considerations

Step 4.Properly rotateinjection sites

Step 5.Hold the needleunder the skinfor 10 seconds

Mix cloudy insulin properly.Tip the pen 10 times, roll the pen 10 times, then visually check to confirm the insulin is cloudy.

Step 6.Properly disposesof pen needle

• Select an area (abdomen, thighs, buttocks, back of arm).

• Select a zone about the size of a postcard.

• Ensure that each injection is at least one finger width from the last injection.

Why?Proper rotation keeps injection siteshealthy and reduces the amount ofunexplained ups and downs in bloodsugar. Rotate within each injection sitein a pattern you can remember.

• Keep your thumb on the plunger while the needle is held under the skin.

Why?This helps to ensure the full insulin dose is delivered and helps avoid leakage.

Check injection areas for lipohypertrophy (lipos)Injecting insulin into a lipo can result in poor absorption and variable blood sugar. Rotating injection sites and inspecting sites regularly can help prevent lipos from developing.4

• Recap needle with clear outer cover. Do not recap with coloured inner cover.

• Detach pen needle from cartridge.• Dispose in designated sharps container,

like the BD sharps collector.

References1 Gibney MA, et al. Current Medical Research Opinion. 2010;26(6):1519–30. 2 Lo Presti D, Ingesgnosi C, Strauss K. Pediatr Diabetes. 2012; 13 (7):525-533. 3 Frid A, et al. Diabetes Care. 1990;13(5):473-7. **IMS Brogan 2017 . 4 Blanco M, et al. Diabetes Metab 2013;39(5):445-53

BD Medical - BD, Mississauga, ON L5N 0B3, Canada

Always inject with a new needle.Pen needles should only be used once—reuse may lead to needle-tip damage, which may result in injection pain or damage to the skin. Reuse may also increase the risk of developing lipos.4

Why?Disposing of pen needles in designated sharps containers, like the BD sharps collector, is important to prevent needlestick injuries.

100% compatible with all insulin and GLP-1 pens in Canada

bd.com

© 2017 BD. BD, the BD Logo and BD Ultra-Fine are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company.

1 2

34

BD4682_1_NM_Diabetes Review leaflet_Final_AW.indd 2 06/12/2017 11:29