Last week, there were reports about a spa in New Mexico that was reportedly shut down after 2 patients got infected by a virus after a procedure. This is a very serious situation and we wanted to take this opportunity to remind our patients of ways that they can protect themselves.
At our office, we do many treatments that involve needles and blood. They include vitamin injections, pushes, IVs, blood draws, and microneedling with PRP and hyaluronic acid. We take every precaution possible to maintain a sterile environment and to prevent any cross contamination to protect our patients when dealing with needles and bodily fluids.
However, we know that some of our patients receive treatments while on vacation or in other locations so we just wanted to offer some tips and reminders to make sure they are receiving the best care possible and keep themselves safe.
- Only get these procedures done at a medical office. There are many locations that offer “pop up” vitamin injections and they can be located inside a grocery store or health food store and we are concerned about whether or not the vitamin vials are properly stored and about the cleanliness of the store and the area where the injections will be administered.
- Make sure that the room where the procedure is going to be taking place is clean, dust free, and the trash bins are not overflowing.
- Make sure that there is a sharps container for used needles to be disposed in and that the container is not overflowing with needles.
- Make sure that the person who will be administering the injection wear new gloves and clean the injection area properly with alcohol.
- Make sure that the needle is a new disposable needle, rather than a needle that just gets sterilized. If the doctor or medical assistant does not open the needle from the packaging in front of you, ask them if it is a new needle.
- Ask many questions. Ask the practitioner about their training, how they maintain sterility between patients, how they prevent cross contamination, and how they dispose of used medical equipment.
These are just a few ways that patients can take control of their health and prevent the spread of illnesses. If you do not feel comfortable or confident that the person administering the procedure has the best clean technique and is putting your health at risk, please do not get the procedure done and find another location.
