Because I started my change project last semester in Leadership as a proposed project, this semester I will work on implementing the change in the hospital where I do some prn work. As I discussed in an earlier post, I will work on implementing the use of only needles with safety devices in place for IV sticks and blood draws and needleless systems by using only blunt tips with IV pushes, etc to help prevent possible needle sticks. The director of nursing thinks it is a great idea, as does a majority of the staff. But the biggest barrier so far is some of the nurses who have been nurses for a very long time and feel that they will not be able to comfortably use the new needles. They feel as if they cannot use them as well as the older needles they have used "forever". Currently, the hospital has some newer styles, but the majority of the needles are the older style without a safety feature in place. Because I feel that it is very important to take every precaution possible to reduce the chance for a needle stick, I need to keep working on helping the staff understand the importance of the safety features now available. Many of the staff members who are uncomfortable with the new style are the same ones who half the time will not wear gloves. I think that they feel that it will not happen to them, especially in a small, hometown hospital. But just the other night we had a patient come through who was HIV positive, and only then did one of the usually hesitant nurses decide to wear gloves and use a IV needle with a safety feature in place. What about universal precautions? She should treat everyone the same, because there may be a time when the HIV status is not known. So, I will have an in-service that will discuss the importance of these newer style needles and will give the nurses an opportunity to look at and use different brands of needles, as there opinion will come in to play when the final product is chosen. I feel that if they have the chance to look at different brands and have their opinions listened to, they will be more likely to except the change.