Let's talk TRASH! Useless, outdated, OLD equipment or supplies on your unit, that is!

Nurses General Nursing

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What's the most useless piece of equipment or stocked supply in your facility or on your unit?

What would you replace it with?

I thought of this thread when I was drawing up a 3 cc NS flush and thinking about how much easier and safer the pre-filled syringes are. So I wish we had pre-filled syringes.

And those emesis basins! Have you EVER known anyone to actually hit the thing without splashing or spraying all over the place? Completely useless! How about some larger-sized (or disposable--even the baggie-type might work better) emesis basins!

Specializes in Pediatrics.

I agree those "emesis basins" are not designed for the purpose of catching puke-HOWEVER, the are PERFECT for ear lavage! The kidney bean shape fits snuggly against the neck/face area under the ear and the patient's clothes don't get (too) wet. Our peds office orders them monthly. We have a small reserve of the bath basins for use when we get the occasional stomach virus kid.

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Specializes in Perinatal, Education.

We just did a huge clean out in our dept and our manager found education tapes on beta! How long has that been???

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Specializes in Informatics.

And those emesis basins! Have you EVER known anyone to actually hit the thing without splashing or spraying all over the place? Completely useless! How about some larger-sized (or disposable--even the baggie-type might work better) emesis basins!

When I worked as an extern on post partum we had these bags that had a cardboard rim and a plastic bag that unfolded. Oh, they were wonderful! You could stack 6 beside a nauseated patient. They held up to a liter! They had graduated markings on the side. And the best part was you tossed them right in the trash.

I hope whoever invented them is making a lot of money.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
We just did a huge clean out in our dept and our manager found education tapes on beta! How long has that been???

We found laser disc ones last month lol.

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

We have laptops that we use for all our charting...well that we are supposed to use...they hardly every work...grrrrr

Our thermometer's stink..they take forever and often give an error message...grrr

Would love to throw my pager (I'm forced to carry while on the floor) on the ground and stomp on it...grrr

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I wish we could get rid of those glass ampules you have to break the top off to get to the med. Why DO certain meds still only come in that kind of packaging? There must be a reason.

Also, our cribs have the NOISIEST and hard to move side rails; trying to lower them to examine a patient can be a challenge, never mind on night shift trying to do it without waking up the baby or their parents. Sometimes I avoid the issue by just sticking my stethoscope through the railings :imbar If I were a little taller I could reach over the side, but that is okay!

And then there's those IV poles that can adjust way up to the sky so I can't hang a bag on it... that's aggravating but at least it usually gets a good laugh from the kids! :D

OK I'm done complaining (for now!) let's hear some more!

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I would dearly LOVE to get rid of all hospital beds that did not have a weight function on it. You just wouldn't believe how often we get CHF'ers who also can't stand up to get on the scale, or people on TPN who have to be weighed daily.

Love the "Barf bag" idea! Do you recall the company that sold them? I'd be happy to do a cost comparison myself if it meant getting cheaper, more efficient, safer (infection-control-wise) stuff.

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emesis basins....... great for dividing up a bag of M&Ms, dip for your chips, leftover cake..... I usually try to beg a few of those civilized plastic bag thingys from the paramedics.

bet our EKG machine is older than yours...... all the while there are memos all over about how important a timely EKG is......

how about not being able to get an accucheck or do an EKG without a patient ID number???? tell that to the diabetic lying on the lobby floor.

safety needles........safety for whom???? i've had more stupid incidents with them than the old ones.

found some old red rubber "Levine" tubes in our pedi cart

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Ok yes I agree come into the milennium people!! The one place I work at, using way old charting system that a 5 year old could do. A communication book, yes, pen and paper, and very old thermometers that take forever also!! I am just tired of 'older' nurses who cannot handle ANY change what so ever. We are suppose to go to a level 3 NICU soon and I am scared to death for our poor patients with some of these nurse (and doctors!!!). Please pray our 'new' unit will have updated equipment and technology!!!!:lol2:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

MEDITECH. Talk about OLD and USELESS.

Trash it. It's dos-based and 20-plus year-old technology (I use the term loosely) that is MORE work than ever worth it.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Where I worked (asst. living) they has this old millitary style HUGE metal irrigation syringe that we used for ear irrigations! This thing, I am sure, was intended to actually scare the wax out of folks before having to be used! LOL!

The scope for it was worse! LOL!

So I reminded the DON that we may want to update those to disposable or something at least from our centrury! LOL! So she updated the scope...but not the syringe...

Bummer...I offered to buy both of them for my antique medical collection...they were wonderful! Alas, they are keeping the old ones in case they need them...grrrrrrr! I really wanted those!!!

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Specializes in long term care, med-surg, PACU, Pre-Op.

One of first things I learned working where I do now was to use towels for when patients have emesis. They seem to work well with patients who are still pretty groggy and unable to "aim" to hit a receptacle. This year they finally got rid of the very old Marquette monitors that would keep showing up when ours broke, granted ours are hand me downs from other units, but these are harder to read than our "newer" ones which seem to work pretty well except when you put the leads on a living, breathing patient and can not get a telemetry reading for the life of you.

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