Design and production optimization of safety-engineered syringes to be used routinely in clinical settings: ergonomic, cost-effective solution to reducing the risk of blood-borne infections in India

Abstract

Although there is global support of safety-engineered syringes, the use of auto-retractable syringe technologies is still not widely adopted in routine clinical practice, especially in countries with low and middle income.Current auto-retractable and prefilled syringe systems, though useful in the prevention of reuse and needle-stick injuries, lack cost effectiveness, ergonomic flexibility, and compatibility with traditional medication delivery processes. This paper explores design constraints of existing safety syringes and suggests an alternative, ergonomic, cost-optimized safety syringe design that can be used in routine therapeutic practice.The research measures functional efficiency, clinical adaptability, and production feasibility using a mixed-method research framework that includes design analysis, feedback of manufacturers, and usability evaluation of healthcare workers, as well as comparative cost modeling. The results indicate that prefilled and traditional auto-retractable syringes are not well adapted to multi-medication use and clinical injections daily.Conversely, the suggested syringe model exhibits better ergonomic usage, ability to work with the usual drugs and minimal production complexity.The research finds that a design-oriented innovation, not safety mechanisms per se, is essential to syringe safety that is scalable and sustainable in contemporary healthcare systems.