Re: Needleless IV access? Why aren't they always used? Originally Posted by Son Tava 
You use what the facility provides. Don't ask why. Just do.
I disagree with this statement. As a staff RN, I was chair of our homecare agencies safety committee and led the changeover to needless IV, safety syringes and safety blood collection devices in 2001.
Under federal safety standards for Prevention of Needlestick injuries, staff nurses are required to be part of any committee that evaluates and recommends facility product selection for syringes.
One has a right to ask questions of materials mangers/purchasing manger/nursing supervisor etc ---whoever is in charge of ordering equipment why needless systems not being used...in a polite way. One can always document issues with current equipment and ask for a review. When we were discussing change in products met with "we had no problems before, why do we need it" from managers on committee. Manufactures were happy to send me samples which we tested on oranges on teaching arms---selected those with ease and cost in mind. Many were surprised with the ease of glide of some syringes compared to our stock!
Good sources of info:
Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act Requirements
Provisions of the new law:
n Requires health care employers to document in their exposure control plan that they have evaluated and implemented safety-engineered sharp devices and needleless systems in order to reduce employees' occupational exposure to HIV, hepatitis C and other bloodborne diseases; and
n Requires that exposure control plans be reviewed and updated at least annually to reflect changes in sharps safety technology.
n Requires each health care facility to maintain a sharps injury log with detailed information on percutaneous injuries (including type and brand of device involved in exposure incident, department where exposure occurred and an explanation of how it occurred).
n Requires employers to solicit input from non-managerial (e.g., frontline) health care workers when identifying, evaluating and selecting safety-engineered sharp devices, and to document this process in the exposure control plan.
n Expands the definition of "engineering controls" to include devices with engineered sharps injury protection.
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