Chloroscrub vs. alcohol swabs/phenergan issue

[Tami Spaeder]

Questions for the group:  2.  We have the ability to now use the Chloroscrub Swabs in our hospital. They are, however, more expensive than alcohol swabs. We are trying to decide what to ask our hospital for regarding what we need and what we would use the swabs for. Most of our nurses don’t spend the required amount of time swabbing hubs/caps with the alcohol swabs. Is anyone else switching over to these swabs in place of the alcohol swabs? And, if you are, are you using them for all IVs or just for central lines? Our local college has clinical for the nursing students at our hospital. At a recent staff meeting one of the instructors said she will not require her students to dilute IV Phenergan unless we make a policy. In looking up Phenergan in two Mosby’s we have, we found one states to dilute and the other says it is optional to dilute before giving. Our PICC team knows the affects Phenergan if it infiltrates into the tissues. I look at this as being a normal, common sense ‘nursing consideration’ for a medication. Many medications have ‘nursing considerations’, they don’t all need a policy to back it up. Any thoughts?     Tami Spaeder, RN, BSN