Title: Recapping used needles
Course: Communicable Diseases Part 3 - Ethiopia (Full)

Recapping used needles

Although you should not recap needles routinely, you may need to recap a needle to avoid carrying an unprotected sharp when immediate disposal is not possible, or if an injection is delayed because a child is agitated. If it does become necessary for you to recap a used needle, follow the one-handed recapping technique (also called the single-handed scoop method) illustrated in Figure 26.5.

Figure 26.5 The 'one-handed' technique for recapping a needle. (Photos: courtesy of Sister Atsede Kebede and Kerry Murphy)