CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

CHAPTER 11: PHLEBOTOMY 267
Table 11-1 Using Infection Control Methods while Performing
Venipunctures
Control Method
Standard precautions
Personal protective
equipment
Engineering controls
Work practice controls
Mechanism
Treat all patients and all specimens as infectious.
Wear gloves to handle blood and all body fl uids; wear fl uid-resistant gown or
laboratory coat; wear eye protection if splashes are reasonably anticipated.
Use containers for contaminated sharps, designated and marked containers for
biohazardous waste, biohazard containers for contaminated reusable apparel,
biohazard containers for disposable apparel, appropriate surface disinfectants.
Always wear gloves when working with blood; never recap, remove, cut, or
break needles; use safety needles and needle holders; immediately dispose
of contaminated sharps in an appropriate receptacle; wash hands with
antiseptic after removing gloves or any other time hands are potentially
contaminated.
a high level of stress due to illness or perhaps from having the procedure itself
performed. The characteristics that make a technician or technologist a professional
must come into play during this critical process. Professional behavior
would include a calm and confident approach along with an explanation of the
procedure being performed. Since the first critical step in completing a laboratory
procedure is that of obtaining an adequate specimen and providing the
correct handling and proper identification of the samples, the phlebotomist must
be professional, competent, and thorough. Always remember that a laboratory
procedure is no more accurate than the specimen used for its performance.
Quality Assurance in Phlebotomy
Quality assurance is as much a part of phlebo tomy procedures as it is for performing
laboratory procedures with proper quality control specimens and
equipment maintenance requirements. Laboratory testing is an important part
of diagnosis and prognosis for a patient, as the
physician relies on results to either diagnose
or confirm a diagnosis as well as to follow the
effects of a treatment. To ensure consistent quality
of specimen collection and handling, policies
are implemented and procedures are developed
based on specific guidelines. Poor and inaccurate
results for laboratory testing due to inadequate
collection of samples may delay providing test
data to the physician and may be the basis for a
misdiagnosis if test results provide faulty clinical
information.
The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical
Laboratory Science (NAACLS), among
other agencies, provides for accreditation of
phlebotomy programs. But not all phlebotomy
FIGURE 11-1 Vacuum tube system with safety needle, disposable
needle holder, and vacuum collection tube.
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