filter needles

[rebeccajs]

I am new to traveling outside my state and recently discovered how big some differences are across the country. My question is this, Is it a practice to use filter needles when drawing up medication out of a glass ampule where you are?

That had always been my practice until recently a hospital I am traveling to siad they don't even have filter needles or know what they are. I was just curious to see what is the standard across the country.

[Diana in Sweden]

Originally posted by wormily

i've only been a nurse 5 years but only discovered filter needles when i immigrated to the US 2 years ago. we didn't use them in the hospitals I worked at in New Zealand or Autralia. now if i see them i use them but they aren't always available.:zzzzz

they are not used here either, in fact when I asked my instructor she looked at me like I had 2 heads... if they were available I would certainly use them ... I HATE the thought of shards

[New CCU RN]

Filter needles, although... I never learned about them until I started practicing as a nurse.

[Diana in Sweden]

Originally posted by New CCU RN

Filter needles, although... I never learned about them until I started practicing as a nurse.

you mean you never talked about in school then ? ... ok but I have been a nurse for 10 years in psych and there are LOTS of i.m. done there ..... I would be very pleased I find them on my next job though, I hope so

[New CCU RN]

Originally posted by Diana in Sweden

you mean you never talked about in school then ? ... ok but I have been a nurse for 10 years in psych and there are LOTS of i.m. done there ..... I would be very pleased I find them on my next job though, I hope so

Nope, had never heard of them in school... I obviously now use them all the time but they were not taught in school.

[Geeg]

Why can't the drugs be supplied in vials instead of ampules? I am sure that it has something to do with $$. If I have the choice between two comparable drugs I always ask the doc to order the one that comes in the vial. Less glass for the nurse and the pt-since we are finding out that many hospitals don't provide filter needles.

[TinyNurse, RN]

thanks for the article. In school I was taught to use filter needle with glass ampules. I have met nurses who say "well when I started nursing, we didn't even have filter needles, so it's no big deal." I use a filter needle to draw up, just cuz it's safer, and it only takes two seconds to change the needle( depending on your system)

my question on ampules................ can you actualy "hold them upside down/draw, and having nothing fall out???? ( like they said in school)

I haven't tried it as an RN yet, because I don't want to waste the med. hahaha

Jen