Overcoming Wet Injection Challenges With Human-Centric Design

By Jessica Sanford, Ph.D., Senior Human Factors Engineer, Battelle

Explore the concept of wet injections, which occur when the injection device is removed from the skin while medication is still being delivered, resulting in underdosing. There are several causes of wet injections, such as lifting the device too early, misinterpreting cues, and not holding the device at the injection site for the correct amount of time. Inexperienced users are more likely to commit use errors, and the prevalence of medications with higher volumes and more viscous biologic medications increases the likelihood of wet injections.

We highlight the negative impacts of wet injections, including a negative user experience, customer complaints, and the potential need for product recalls or redesigns. Four types of wet injections are the most prevalent: lift and spray, pooling from early release, pooling due to compression, and medication collected in a needle safety device.

Addressing wet injections can lead to safer and more user-friendly devices, increased user satisfaction, improved therapeutic outcomes, and better adherence to medication regimens. Mitigating wet injections requires a multi-pronged approach, encompassing device design, protective measures, safety information, and training. While improvements have been made in device design and mitigation strategies, there is still room for improvement.