When the nurse is using a syringe and needle to give a patient an injection, he or she should:
A) never recap the needle afterward to avoid risk of needle stick.
B) carefully break the needle from the syringe, using the needle cover to prevent reuse of a used syringe and needle.
C) throw the needle and syringe immediately in a covered garbage can with a red plastic liner to indicate the materials are biohazards.
D) recap the needle and place it carefully on the patient's table until leaving the room, then discard it in a garbage container in the nurses' medication room.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Used needles and sharps need to be handled very carefully to prevent sticks with contaminated body fluids (blood). Never recapping the needle is an approved CDC Standard Precaution. The other choices are contraindicated. Sharps should be discarded in a specially marked container that does not endanger the person who empties it. The needle should not be broken or recapped unless it is done with a one-hand scoop method. Throwing needles or sharps in a red plastic bag endangers others.

When the Nurse Is Using a Syringe and Needle to Give