When it comes to medicine, so much of what we have to do runs on instinct. We have to listen to our gut so often because it almost always leads us to the correct answer, even if we can only prove it through medical treatment much later on. However, that can sometimes lead to decisions that are just wrong, and that is never more true when it comes to choosing a needle for an injection.
Most of us would go for the very thinnest needle when we are about to give a patient an injection, and to our gut instincts that makes perfect sense; the thinner the needle, the easier it will be to push through the patient’s skin, the blunter the needle, the more painful it will be for the patient. However, if you do decide to use a 32G needle, the absolute thinnest, that does not necessarily mean that it is going to be the sharpest.
The bevel that is at the end of the needle is what decides how sharp or how blunt a needle is, and that does not really have anything to do with how thin or wide it is. A 32G needle may be very thin, but any other needle could be sharper, and therefore going to be much better to use with your patient. In fact, in some cases you can find that the bevel of a 32G needle is not only blunt, but completely bent over making it completely impossible for you to use it to inject a patient without a good deal of pain and discomfort for them.
That is why you should avoid the absolute thinnest needles, even though your gut may tell you that it is the best choice – instead, focus on the sharpness of the needle instead.