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Technically Speaking
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September 2011
Technically Speaking
Monthly Column by Deborah Wexler, MD
Deborah Wexler MD
Technically Speaking is a monthly column written by IAC’s Executive Director Deborah Wexler, MD. The column is featured in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center’s (VEC's) monthly e-newsletter for healthcare professionals. Technically Speaking columns cover practical topics in immunization delivery such as needle length, vaccine administration, cold chain, and immunization schedules.
Check out a recent issue of Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers. The VEC e-newsletter keeps providers up to date on vaccine-related issues and includes reviews of recently published journal articles, media recaps, announcements about new resources, and a regularly updated calendar of events.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Guidance for Busy Clinics on Prefilling Your Own Syringes
Published September 2011
Information presented in this article may have changed since the original publication date. For the most current immunization recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, visit www.immunize.org/acip/acip_vax.asp.
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) frequently receives email inquiries from immunization staff asking if they can draw up vaccine into syringes ahead of time, especially before busy influenza or back-to-school vaccination clinics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discourages the practice of prefilling syringes because it can result in these undesirable outcomes:
Increased possibility of administration and dosing errors
Increased risk of maintaining vaccine under inappropriate storage conditions (i.e., temperature or light)
Possibility of bacterial contamination
Possibility of reducing a vaccine's potency over time because of its interaction with the plastic syringe components
Prefilling syringes might also violate basic medication administration guidelines, which state that an individual should administer only those medications he or she has prepared and drawn up him or herself.
Although pre-drawing vaccine is discouraged, immunization staff may pre-draw a limited amount of vaccine in a mass-immunization clinic setting if the following conditions apply:
Only a single type of vaccine (e.g., influenza) is administered at the mass-immunization clinic setting
Vaccine is not drawn up in advance of its arrival at the mass-vaccination clinic location
Prefilled syringe doses are stored at temperatures appropriate for the vaccine they hold
No more than one vial or 10 doses (whichever is greater) is drawn into syringes
Clinic staff monitor patient flow carefully, avoid drawing up unnecessary doses, and promptly administer pre-drawn doses.
At the end of the clinic day, discard any remaining syringes prefilled by staff. Never save these syringes for another day, and never attempt to put the vaccine dose back into a vial.
As an alternative to personally prefilling syringes, CDC recommends using manufacturer-supplied prefilled syringes, which are designed both for storage and administration. However, keep in mind that once you remove the syringe cap or attach a needle, the sterile seal is broken. You should either use the syringe or discard it at the end of the clinic day.
2011 ISSUES >> view all
DECEMBER 2011
"Catching-up" Kids – and Don’t Forget the Supplemental Dose of PCV13
NOVEMBER 2011
Which Children Need Two Doses of Influenza Vaccine for the 2011-2012 Season?
OCTOBER 2011
Screening Patients for Contraindications to Vaccination
SEPTEMBER 2011
Guidance for Busy Clinics on Prefilling Your Own Syringes
AUGUST 2011
Are Your New Patients Missing Their Immunization Records?
JULY 2011
CDC’s “General Recommendations on Immunization” – Make Sure You Have a Copy!
JUNE 2011
Standing Orders Can Help You Vaccinate Your Patients
APRIL 2011
2011 Immunization Schedules Now Available
MARCH 2011
Tdap Recommendations Broadened
FEBRUARY 2011
Using Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) Correctly
 
This page was updated on May 8, 2012.
This page was reviewed on May 8, 2012.
 
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This website is supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (Grant No. 1NH23IP922654) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. The website content is the sole responsibility of IAC and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.