Bending needle after injection

[christinehardin]

When I was doing clinicals, I observed a RN bend a needle after giving the injection. It was a subQ needle so it was very thin and easy to bend. After she bent it, she threw it in the sharps. This is obviously not right, but why would she do this?

[Glutton-4-Trauma, BSN, RN]

I haven't seen nurses bend needles after an injection at the facility I work at, but I would think that older school nurses probably do this habitually to prevent accidental needle sticks. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. It's not something that I would ever dare do at the clinical site, though.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Better to toss in sharps box as anything on the needle is being transferred to the surface she is bending against and the needle is still an exposed sharp

[tarheelsu]

Perhaps it is a habit that is second nature. Did she actually touch the needle with her hand to bend it? If so, that is BAD. But if she pressed the needle against a hard surface, maybe a bit less bad. But either way is unsafe. Touching it risks needle sticks and touching it against something else can transfer body fluids/bacteria/diseases from the needle to whatever surface it touches. Better to go straight into the sharps and better yet if it has a safety lock on it.

[PsychNurseWannaBe, BSN, RN]

This is an old school thing. Did the needle not have a sheath to pull up to cover and lock the needle? I work with a nurse who has over 20 years experience and "back in the day" they would chop the needle off and then discard. Both are not acceptable practices. You can still get poked by a needle unless it is sheathed and locked.

[Mentalageis16]

as long as she protected herself and others from been sticked by it, actually I was thinking...some patients (narcotics) might open up the BIO HAZARD box and try to steal used needles to use to inject themselves....maybe too much imagination, but I think whatever she did was a good act, not a bad one.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

It's pointless, and potentially dangerous to handle the needle after use.

Don't bend it, don't recap it. just activate the protective cover if present and immediately dispose of it in the sharps container