Infection Control
It plays a major role in infection control.
Hand Hygiene.
What most patients have a preference of.
Arm choice.
How the arm should be placed.
Downward in a straight line from shoulder to wrist.
The first choice of vein in venipuncture.
Median Cubital.
This should be retied prior to needle entry.
The Tourniquet.
Isopropyl alcohol or antiseptic.
This should be used to clean the site prior to venipuncture to prevent infection.
Doing this with the patients arm helps to improve patient comfort and success of venipuncture.
Proper positioning.
To aid in vein selection and to avoid reflux as tubes are filled.
How long you let the tube fill up.
Until the vacuumed is exhausted to insure adequate blood to additive ratio.
What you should uncap and examine the needle for.
Defects.
What you should allow to dry completely prior to starting the venipuncture.
Isopropyl alcohol or antiseptic.
This aids in patient comfort by reducing stinging when the needle is inserted.
Allowing the antiseptic agent to dry completely.
This is how far above the puncture site the tourniquet should be placed.
3-4 inches.
When you should mix the tubes.
Do this just before the needle is inserted to help with success.
Line the needle up with the vein.
What the phlebotomist must have on prior to inserting the needle.
PPE Gloves.
Doing this to the skin helps the needle to enter more easily and with less pain.
Stretching the skin.
Proper tourniquet placement has these benefits.
It enlarges the veins making them easier to see, feel, and enter with a needle.
After locating your vein of choice it is the two things you do to prevent hemoconcentration.
Release the tourniquet and have the patient open their fist.
How the tube should be placed in the holder.
Push it part way on to the needle with a clockwise twist.
This should be done to the needle immediately after removal.
Activate the needles safety feature and place it immediately in a sharps container.
What should be done to the patient just prior to inserting the needle.
Warn them.
This helps the veins to be easier to see and keeps them from rolling.
A clinched fist.
This should be done while the antiseptic chosen is drying.
Preparing equipment based on vein selection.
When the tourniquet should be released.
As soon a blood starts to flow in the tube.