Docfan Academy

Syringes, needles and IV sets are sterile, single-use devices. The rule is simple: one new, sterile set for one patient and one use, then straight into the sharps container.

Check the pack and the size

• The pack is intact: no tears, holes, damp patches or crushed corners.
• The expiry date has not passed.
• It was stored clean and dry, in its carton, off the floor and away from sun and heat.

If any of these fails, do not use it. Set it aside and tell your supervisor.

A syringe is labelled by volume in mL. A needle has a gauge (G) and a length. A higher gauge number means a thinner needle. The prescriber and the procedure decide what to use, not the customer's preference, and not "whatever is nearest".

Safe injection practice

1. Clean your hands (hand rub or soap and water).
2. Open the sterile pack only at the point of use.
3. Use a new syringe and a new needle for every injection and every patient. Changing only the needle is not enough.
4. Do not touch the needle or the inside of the connector.
5. Do not recap by hand. Put the used needle and syringe straight into a puncture-resistant sharps container within arm's reach, without bending or breaking the needle.
6. Close the container when it is about three-quarters full.

IV sets follow the same logic: sterile, single-use, packaging checked, connectors not touched, and changed as your facility policy says.

If you are pricked

Wash with soap and water, let the wound bleed gently, do not squeeze hard or suck it, and report at once so that your facility's post-exposure procedure can start.