Editing Infection Control and Safety – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 12==
The nurse has just administered an intramuscular injection. Which action is '''correct'''?
# Recap the needle carefully with two hands before disposal.
# Break the needle from the syringe before placing it in the sharps container.
# Activate the safety device and drop the entire syringe into the sharps container at the point of use.
# Place the used syringe on the bedside table until care is completed.

'''Answer:''' 3. Activate the safety device and drop the entire syringe into the sharps container at the point of use.

''Rationale:'' Used needles are not recapped, bent, broken, or manipulated. The safety device is engaged and the assembly is discarded immediately in a puncture-resistant container at the point of use, which is replaced when about three-quarters full. Setting a used syringe down creates a needlestick risk for the nurse, colleagues, and the client.