The new IDDSI Funnel is an excellent product. I have absolutely fallen in love with it! The IDDSI Funnel is much easier to use than the two-syringe system, and it greatly reduces waste and cleanup. Plus, the printing is still easy to read after multiple washes. I stopped using syringes altogether.
I highly recommend giving it a try!
Simplified Funnel Process
I've always been a fan of the IDDSI Flow Test. However, the two-syringe system - drawing 10 mL into a syringe and filling a second syringe while sealing the bottom of the second syringe - never came naturally to me. The whole process worked, but it felt a bit awkward.
The wide mouth of the IDDSI Funnel is designed so you can simply pour the test beverage directly into the IDDSI Funnel. The action feels much more normal to me. And overall it feels like a faster, more intuitive, and natural process.
IDDSI Levels Printed on the Funnel
The IDDSI Funnels have the IDDSI levels printed directly on the syringe. It is super easy to read the results. There still are mL markings if you want to read those, but the key question - which IDDSI level is the beverage - can be read right on the barrel of the syringe. No one has to remember the scale – it’s just printed on the funnel!
Less Clean Up
There is one funnel to clean after a test. That's it. With the 2 syringe system, each test created 2 dirty syringe barrels and 1 dirty plunger.
More Durable
Most syringes are designed for single-use applications. The printing wears off fairly quickly and easily. The IDDSI Funnels are designed to be used over and over again. The Canadian IDDSI Reference Group (CIRG) has run IDDSI Funnels through 100 cycles in a consumer dishwasher or 30 times in commercial washers with no signs of warping, and the printing is still easy to read.
Less Waste
With syringes, there is much more waste – more than double!! Just in the design, a syringe has a barrel and a plunger. The IDDSI Funnels have no plunger.
In addition, each syringe is individually wrapped. IDDSI Funnels come in a bulk box or packed in a shipping envelope. There is no individual packaging waste.
As I mentioned, the printing is not as durable with syringes. So you will use and discard more syringes than IDDSI Funnels.
You will produce much less waste with the IDDSI Funnel.
Will You Make the Switch?
Like so many of the revolutionary ideas we have gotten from IDDSI, the IDDSI Funnel is no exception. It is easier to use, less messy, more durable, and produces less waste. That's why I've switched to using the IDDSI Funnel almost exclusively. Will you make the switch? Try it out!