3- Drawing blood Flashcards
Why do we draw blood
- Blood acts as the primary means of transporting nutrients and other substances throughout the body.
- Example blood caries oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body
- Blood helps to fight infections, regulates body temperature, and maintains body pH.
- Analysis of blood can determine the state of the patient’ health and to aid in the diagnoses of various disease states
What are the types of requisitions
- Handwritten
- Preprinted
- Computer generated with preprinted labels.
Information on the requisition
- Patient’s name
- Date of Birth
- Patient’s identification number (inpatients)
- Patient’s health card number.(outpatients)
- Patient’s location (Room number or home address)
- Names of tests ordered
- Physician’s name (outpatient)
- Date and time of specimen collection.
- Initial of person doing the phlebotomy
diagnosis
dr address
dr sig
Single most important task
Identification of the Patient
Inpatient Identification
2 Step Preanalytic Process
- Firstly, ask the patient his or her name and date of birth in a professional and courteous manner
- Confirm the patient’s answer with the information on the requisition.
- Secondly match the patient information on the requisition with the information on the patient’s identification band.
- The identification band will contain the patient’s name and unique identification number.
- Some identification wrist band have a computer memory chip that stores patient info
Outpatient Identification
- Patients may bring a requisition or card with them or one will be waiting for them at the registration desk.
- Ask the patient to spell their name, state their date of birth and show their Health Card,
- Compared to the requisition.
- In special circumstances a picture ID may be required is no other form of ID is available.
No Identification Band on Inpatient
- Never draw blood from an inpatient without an identification band.
- No ID Band: Get the nurse to identify the patient and have an ID band placed on the patient prior to drawing the samples.
- Impossible to have an ID band: Nurse or doctor can identify the patient.
- Write the nurses name and the fact that the patient was identified by the nurse or doctor on the requisition
Unconscious Patient
- Check the ID band and compare it with the requisition.
* Unconscious patients should be treated in the same manner as conscious patients.
Patient in the Emergency Room
- Each facility has its own protocol for identifying unknown and unconscious patients.
- Usually issue temporary ID band with number
- The temporary number should appear on the requisition and all patient specimens
The Sleeping Patient
- Gently wake the sleeping patient before beginning the blood collection process
- Never be phlebotomist on a sleeping patient
Patient out of the Room
• Non timed specimen: collect the specimen later.
• Timed Specimen: E.g. Therapeutic drug monitoring.
Check with the floor secretary or nurse to determine the location of the patient, and if possible to go there to collect the blood.
STAT
- The stat test indicates the sample collection is critical to the immediate treatment of the patient.
- STAT specimens are drawn and analyzed immediately
• Examples Of Multiple Stat order priority:
- Operating room
- Traumas in emergency department
- Post anesthesia (PACU)
- Intensive care
- Coronary care
- Emergency.
ASAP (as soon as possible)
- Collected with in the hour.
* Most emergency room orders are of this category.
Routine
- Collected within eight hours of ordering.
* The majority of blood collections are of this priority
