MANUFACTURING FEASIBILITY AND INDUSTRY READINESS FOR INDIGENOUS AUTO-RETRACTABLE SINGLE-USE SYRINGES IN INDIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY TO PREVENT NEEDLESTICK INJURIES AND BLOOD-BORNE INFECTIONS
Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are an ongoing workplace risk associated with healthcare facilities and this risk is even more pronounced in the developing economies where the traditional disposable syringes are still in use as a method of therapy. Even though the use of safety-engineered syringes has been globally endorsed to minimize the occupational exposure to blood-borne infections, their use in India has not been widespread. Auto-disable syringes have enhanced safety in terms of preventing re use but does not remove the possibility of post-injection exposure to the needle hence subjecting healthcare workers to injuries. This paper explores the technical feasibility, industry preparedness and relevance of safety of production of indigenous auto-retractable single-use syringes in India. It was a structured survey over the manufacturers of syringes in India, which covered a near-census of the industry. Among the 64 manufacturers who were identified, 59 gave valid responses, which is a response rate of 92.2 percent. The article is a statistical study that incorporates design-feasibility and economic factors, determining the perception of manufacturers and the obstacles to the introduction of advanced safety technologies in the healthcare industry. The results of the research indicate that there is high awareness of the auto-retractable syringe technology, but the capacity to produce these syringes in-country is low. Majority of the manufactures still concentrate on traditional disposable or auto-disable syringes due to sensitivity of costs, complexity in design and uncertainty of demand in the market. Nevertheless, there is a strong relationship between the perceived risk of needle-stick injuries and acceptance of safer designs of syringes. Moreover, the more simplified retraction mechanisms that can be used with current production infrastructure prove more willingness to pilot adoption among manufacturers. The research concludes that indigenous auto-retractable syringe technology is technically viable and possibly economically viable in the Indian manufacturing ecosystem given that design simplicity, policy support and procurement incentives are coordinated. The findings also give useful information regarding the role of innovation and manufacturing capacities in enhancing safety and decreasing occupational hazards in the healthcare system in India.
Taher TM, Nascimento MHR, Cad SV. Analysis of Economic-financial Feasibility and Maturity for the Implementation of Industry 4.0 Concepts. Revista de Gestão e Secretariado. 2025;16(6):e5004.
2.
Ramanathan K, Samaranayake P. Assessing Industry 4.0 readiness in manufacturing: a self-diagnostic framework and an illustrative case study. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management. 2021;33(3):468–88.
3.
Khourshed N, Elbarky S, Elgamal S. Investigating the readiness factors for industry 4.0 implementation for manufacturing industry in Egypt. Sustainability. 2023;(12):9641.
4.
Zutin GC, Barbosa GF, de Barros PC, Tiburtino EB, Kawano FLF, Shiki SB. Readiness levels of Industry 4.0 technologies applied to aircraft manufacturing—a review, challenges and trends. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 2022;120(1–2):927–43.
5.
Kee DMH, Cordova M, Khin S. The key enablers of SMEs readiness in Industry 4.0: a case of Malaysia. International Journal of Emerging Markets. 2023;20(3):1042–62.
6.
Creelman B, Frivold C, Jessup S, Saxon G, Jarrahian C. Manufacturing readiness assessment for evaluation of the microneedle array patch industry: an exploration of barriers to full-scale manufacturing. Drug Delivery and Translational Research. 2021;12(2):368–75.
7.
Hussein H, Megahed L, El Sadany Ra, Morsy T. An Overview Needle Sticks Or Sharps Related Injuries And Blood-Borne Pathogens. Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology. 2022;(2):353–62.
8.
Jassem A, Fareed W, Hamed D. Awareness of Needle Stick Injuries and Blood Borne Disease Transmission: A Focused Study. Al-Kunooze Scientific Journal. 2025;(3):18–26.
9.
Li X, He Q, Zhao H. Situation and associated factors of needle stick and sharps injuries among health-care workers in a tertiary hospital: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Health Services Research. 2024;24(1).
10.
Wang P, Cai M, Lv Y, Xiang Q. A competency-based framework for preventing blood-borne pathogen occupational exposures in medical students: literature review and Delphi study. BMC Medical Education. 2025;25(1).
11.
Alinejad N, Bijani M, Malekhosseini M, Nasrabadi M, Harsini PA, Jeihooni AK. Effect of educational intervention based on health belief model on nurses’ compliance with standard precautions in preventing needle stick injuries. BMC Nursing. 2023;22(1).
12.
Keicher F, Zirkel J, Leutritz T, König S. Combatting the occurrence of needle-stick injuries in a medical school: why is it still an issue? BMC Medical Education. 2024;24(1).
13.
Abdalkareem Jasim S, Thaeer Hammid A, Turgunpulatovich Daminov B, Kadhem Abid M, Lateef Al-Awsi GR, Afra A, et al. Investigation ways of causes needle sticks injuries, risk factors affecting on health and ways to preventive. Reviews on Environmental Health. 2022;38(4):629–36.
14.
Abdelmalik MA, Alhowaymel FM, Fadlalmola H, Mohammaed MO, Abbakr I, Alenezi A, et al. Global prevalence of needle stick injuries among nurses: A comprehensive systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2023;32(17–18):5619–31.
15.
Palloş A, Demirca K, Özkan S. Evaluation of Needlestick and Sharp Injuries, Contributing Factors, and Preventive Measures Among Nursing Students. CURARE Journal of Nursing. 2024;(6):21–9.
16.
Tonin FS, Alves da Costa F, Fernandez-Llimos F. Impact of harm minimization interventions on reducing blood-borne infection transmission and some injecting behaviors among people who inject drugs: an overview and evidence gap mapping. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. 2024;19(1).
17.
Wang S, Chen J, Li Y, Zhang B, Li X, Han Y, et al. Trends in sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections in China from 2005 to 2021: a joinpoint regression model. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2023;23(1).
18.
Lambert T, Finlay J, Krahn J, Meyer G, Singh AE, Kennedy M, et al. Incentive-Based Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections Screening in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2022;49(6):398–402.
19.
Akiyama MJ, Manley HN, Riback LR, Zhang C, Alvandi A, Gile K, et al. Leveraging injection networks to prevent HIV and other blood borne infections among people who inject drugs in Kenya: design and rationale. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2025;25(1).
20.
Shiferaw W, Martin B, Dean J, Mills D, Lau C, Paterson D, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses in travellers. Journal of Travel Medicine. 2024;(4):38.
21.
Luo J, Ma L, Xiao F, Obaid MK, Zheng H, Ren Q, et al. Epidemiological Investigation and Phylogenetic Analysis of Major Blood-Derived Pathogens in Sheep from Gansu Province. Pathogens. 2026;15(1):88.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
,
