A quarter of Americans feel embarrassed,
anxious to administer insulin in public; one in four are concerned
about how to properly dispose of their needles/lancets
BANNOCKBURN, IL, Sept. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - A quarter (25%) of
Americans with diabetes admit one of their biggest concerns with
regard to diabetic care is how to properly dispose of needles.
Furthermore, nearly one in 10 (7%) Americans with diabetes dispose
needles/lancets in a public trash can when they are not at home,
causing potential risk to others in their community, and the
environment.
That's according to findings from the new consumer study,
"Access to Care & Sharps Disposal in the Diabetic Community,"
conducted by Stericycle, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRCL), the leading provider
of compliance-based solutions that protect people and brands,
promote health and safeguard the environment.
"With nearly 10 percent of the American population living with
diabetes today, we launched this survey to understand their
concerns and difficulties surrounding administering care so we can
find ways to make their disease easier to manage," said
Cindy Miller, President and CEO of
Stericycle, Inc. "We believe that safe and compliant sharps
disposal options in all public places will improve public safety by
reducing risks of accidental needle pricks and environmental
impacts."
The survey of 1,200 Americans with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
revealed that nearly one in six (14%) typically dispose of used
needles/lancets in a trash can in their home, despite the fact that
the majority (61%) are concerned that their disposed
needles/lancets could harm someone in their household or where they
work. A lack of disposal options may be to blame for improper
disposal of sharps, both in the home and in public. In fact, nearly
half (42%) of Americans with diabetes say that a lack of public
safety disposal containers is the biggest challenge they face when
disposing of needles/lancets, and nearly two in five (38%)
Americans with diabetes who have disposed of used needles/lancets
in a public trash can did so because there were no safe disposal
containers nearby and they had no other choice.
A lack of proper disposal options in public spaces are not the
only challenges Americans with diabetes face. The majority (69%) of
Americans with diabetes have administered an insulin injection in a
public place, and the lack of disposal options is likely one of
many reasons why it can trigger negative feelings. Less than one in
four (21%) Americans with diabetes feel comfortable administering
their insulin or medication in public, saying they feel embarrassed
(25%), anxious (24%) and nervous (20%).
"Our research shows that greater access to safe, discreet
disposal methods would alleviate a lot of the extra work, emotional
anxiety and safety concerns they face every time they need to
administer treatment. This is one problem we can help solve. In
addition to educating the public on the needs of the diabetic
community through this research, we've also partnered with the
American Diabetes Association to provide greater awareness of care
and disposal solutions for people living with diabetes," said
Miller.
Additional findings from the Stericycle study include:
Diabetes care is particularly difficult for Americans while
traveling or socializing
- Nearly two in five (39%) Americans with diabetes find it most
difficult to administer insulin/diabetes care while attending
social activities
- More than one in four (28%) find it most difficult to
administer insulin/diabetes care while traveling for work or
leisure
- When traveling for work or leisure, unsanitary conditions
presented the biggest challenge for administering diabetes self
care for more than a third (35%) of Americans with diabetes, while
22% found the lack of safe disposal containers to be the biggest
challenge
If more methods to safely dispose of sharps from diabetes
care existed, Americans would use them
- More than half (52%) of Americans with diabetes have never
encountered a sharps container in a public restroom, and therefore
have never had a chance to use one
- However, if they were to see a sharps container in a public
restroom, three in four (75%) Americans with diabetes would use it
to dispose of their insulin/lancet needles
- The majority (85%) of Americans with diabetes think at-home
sharps disposal kits would help them manage their diabetes care
more easily, giving them another option for disposal
Greater awareness of diabetes care and access to safe sharps
disposal methods is needed
- One in five (21%) Americans with diabetes have not talked with
friends and family about how to administer care/insulin to them in
case of an emergency
- One in four (27%) Americans with diabetes have not talked with
their doctor about proper needle disposal, and, therefore, may not
be aware of proper disposal methods.
- Nearly one in five (19%) Americans with diabetes think a lack
of options for disposing needles/lancets at home is the biggest
challenge people with diabetes face today when disposing
needles/lancets.
For more information about Stericycle and the "Access to Care
& Sharps Disposal in the Diabetic Community" report, click here
to read the full report.
About Stericycle
Stericycle, Inc., (Nasdaq: SRCL) is
a U.S. based business-to-business services company and leading
provider of compliance-based solutions that protect people and
brands, promote health and safeguard the environment. Stericycle
serves more than one million customers in all 50 U.S. states and 21
countries worldwide with solutions for regulated waste management,
secure information destruction, compliance and customer
contact. For more information about Stericycle, please
visit www.stericycle.com.
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SOURCE Stericycle, Inc.