How do you dispose of retractable lancets?

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I'm curious to know how you dispose of retractable lancets in your facility?

I have always assumed that even though they are a "safe" sharp item, after having been used and contaminated with blood they should be disposed of in the sharps container along with any other kind of needle or sharp.

Recently I have seen some of the agency nurses who work occassionally with us throwing them in the garbage cans in patients rooms; when I questioned this practice, I was told that this is what they do in other facilities that they work in. One nurse said that this was sanctioned by the infection control nurse in one of our big city hospitals.....

I have searched on the internet but found no recommendations on how to dispose of these retractable lancets. Tomorrow I will try to call the public health department for their recommendations.

....nothing in this life is foolproof :uhoh21: and although I really like the lancet we use for it's safety features I wonder how often the retractable spring/coil might fail ...so, personally I will continue to dispose of them in a sharps container :p

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I always put them in the sharps container. :)

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Sharps containers only.......what happens if they weren't fully retracted?

I would hate to see someone injured because of this....................

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I would use the sharps container. About the first time that your janitorial staff gets cut on it and catch hepatitis you will have a real problem.

:p

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Sharps container. Plus they have blood on them, and cannot go into the general trash.

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Specializes in ICU.

Sharps container though I cannot speak for all my colleagues.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

To the sharps box it goes!!!!

I'm curious to know how you dispose of retractable lancets in your facility?

I have always assumed that even though they are a "safe" sharp item, after having been used and contaminated with blood they should be disposed of in the sharps container along with any other kind of needle or sharp.

Recently I have seen some of the agency nurses who work occassionally with us throwing them in the garbage cans in patients rooms; when I questioned this practice, I was told that this is what they do in other facilities that they work in. One nurse said that this was sanctioned by the infection control nurse in one of our big city hospitals.....

I have searched on the internet but found no recommendations on how to dispose of these retractable lancets. Tomorrow I will try to call the public health department for their recommendations.

....nothing in this life is foolproof :uhoh21: and although I really like the lancet we use for it's safety features I wonder how often the retractable spring/coil might fail ...so, personally I will continue to dispose of them in a sharps container :p

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Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.

Sharps container

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Sharps Container! Better to be safe than sorry......:nono:

_____________________________

"once in a while you get shown the light,

in the strangest of places if you look at it right"

-The Grateful Dead

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Sharps container!

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I'm curious to know how you dispose of retractable lancets in your facility?

I have always assumed that even though they are a "safe" sharp item, after having been used and contaminated with blood they should be disposed of in the sharps container along with any other kind of needle or sharp.

Recently I have seen some of the agency nurses who work occassionally with us throwing them in the garbage cans in patients rooms; when I questioned this practice, I was told that this is what they do in other facilities that they work in. One nurse said that this was sanctioned by the infection control nurse in one of our big city hospitals.....

I have searched on the internet but found no recommendations on how to dispose of these retractable lancets. Tomorrow I will try to call the public health department for their recommendations.

....nothing in this life is foolproof :uhoh21: and although I really like the lancet we use for it's safety features I wonder how often the retractable spring/coil might fail ...so, personally I will continue to dispose of them in a sharps container :p

I work in a hospital where in every room there is a sharps container and that's where the contaminated sharps wether it is retracted or not====in the sharps container they go.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm curious to know how you dispose of retractable lancets in your facility?

I have always assumed that even though they are a "safe" sharp item, after having been used and contaminated with blood they should be disposed of in the sharps container along with any other kind of needle or sharp.

Recently I have seen some of the agency nurses who work occassionally with us throwing them in the garbage cans in patients rooms; when I questioned this practice, I was told that this is what they do in other facilities that they work in. One nurse said that this was sanctioned by the infection control nurse in one of our big city hospitals.....

I have searched on the internet but found no recommendations on how to dispose of these retractable lancets. Tomorrow I will try to call the public health department for their recommendations.

....nothing in this life is foolproof :uhoh21: and although I really like the lancet we use for it's safety features I wonder how often the retractable spring/coil might fail ...so, personally I will continue to dispose of them in a sharps container :p

I work in a hospital where in every room there is a sharps container and that's where the contaminated sharps wether it is retracted or not====in the sharps container they go.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
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