Alcohol wipes

Nurses Medications

Published

Is it safe practice to use as a marker for injection the alchol wipe that has been used near the injection site for insulin?

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Specializes in ER, Trauma ICU, CVICU.

Why not?

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

It is if you lift your wipe/marker off the skin and let the site air dry before actually injecting.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I don't do that for SQ, but I do for IM at the hip. After finding the anatomical markers with my hand and wiping the area, I move the wipe so that the corner "points" to the site I want to inject.

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I have seen nurses use a corner to point at the injection site, but they don't inject into the area that is still wet. I think it's a savvy way to mark a site, using the corner to point, but I was taught to get rid of it, so my hand throws it way before my mind can engage. :)

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