quick blood test question

clairec79

Just because something isn't best practice now doesn't mean a lot of people won't stick with what they know when it's something like swabbing first.

If the entrance site is visibly dirty then we are meant to clean it first, but if visibly clean they don't have too - plus when they did swab it did they then wait 1 minute prior to drawing blood? Because you are meant to to let the antibacterial stuff to work

Psst don't forget the blood donor nurses that is all they do, if you don't need to do venepuncture as often you are less confident in it - plus a lot of nurses don't take blood, either because they haven't been trained or because the doctors do it on that ward. I was really shocked when I did a stint on gynae that they all waited for a doctor to draw blood, even when I offered to take it.

The biggest bruise I had was from blood donation when I could do it

Dazi

Re: the medical notes.

I was in hospital a couple of weeks ago, day surgery, nurse was taking my notes and the women at the next bed got out and pullled her file out. Cue my nurse hitting the roof, what are you doing she said, woman said my consultant told me I could read my notes.....Noooooooooooo said the nurse you are not allowed, you have to write in and ask.

Makes me wonder what they write :rolleyes:

Glamazon

Dazi wrote: »

Re: the medical notes.

I was in hospital a couple of weeks ago, day surgery, nurse was taking my notes and the women at the next bed got out and pullled her file out. Cue my nurse hitting the roof, what are you doing she said, woman said my consultant told me I could read my notes.....Noooooooooooo said the nurse you are not allowed, you have to write in and ask.

Makes me wonder what they write :rolleyes:

it's because a clincian is supposed to check the records before they are disclosed to the patient requesting them.

Imagine if a relative had contacted them and given them some 'third party' information on the patient but wanted their disclosure to remain confidential. Or, if a child had been abused when they were really young and didn't know it had occured but it was in their records that it had taken place.

Generally a GP checks thru the records to see if there is anything 'harmful' that shouldn't be disclosed.

WolfSong2000

You guys are a mine of information - I love you! . Okay, while I'm on a roll here (and because I've been staring at the needlemarks on my hands for no apparent reason), if a nurse can't draw blood from the inside of your arm/elbow/whatever or the back of your hand, what then? First nurse said there were no other options, but I find that hard to believe.

Also what sort of things would a GP not be allowed to disclose to a patient via their medical records? Again, curiosity on my part...I'm weird like that (probably why I'm a history student...all that research. lol. Did a course on the history of medicine, but the modern bits baffle me ).

Thanks again you guys - I owe you all!

kindofagilr

clairec79 wrote: »

Just because something isn't best practice now doesn't mean a lot of people won't stick with what they know when it's something like swabbing first.

If the entrance site is visibly dirty then we are meant to clean it first, but if visibly clean they don't have too - plus when they did swab it did they then wait 1 minute prior to drawing blood? Because you are meant to to let the antibacterial stuff to work

Psst don't forget the blood donor nurses that is all they do, if you don't need to do venepuncture as often you are less confident in it - plus a lot of nurses don't take blood, either because they haven't been trained or because the doctors do it on that ward. I was really shocked when I did a stint on gynae that they all waited for a doctor to draw blood, even when I offered to take it.

The biggest bruise I had was from blood donation when I could do it

Slightly different but a story about the blood donor nurses.

I went to give blood and they did that blood drop test first and it found out that I was anemic.

So they need to take a couple of bottles of blood for testing

And they couldnt find a vein in my right arm, they tried 4 times, and then they moved onto left arm and tried another 2 times so I had to go to the doctors.

When I was there the nurse couldnt find a vein lol so she called the doctor in, he went absolutly ballistick, he was so annoyed that they had stuck a needle in me 6 times and failed to get blood

He managed to get it first time

And on the notes front, I remember being in hospital when I was 13 to have my tonsils out and I read my notes, oops lol

Katgrit

With regard to swabbing you'll find that different hospitals and surgeries have different policies. The hospital i work at (I do phlebotomy AND work testing it in the lab) have a policy that we DO swab in the blood test area of outpatients, at community clinics and for home domicilary visit. But nurses and doctors on wards dont come under the "phlebotomy department" umbrella so i couldn't say whether they do or not. The hospital 5 miles away comes under a different NHS trust and their phlebotomy blood test service policy is to not swab. But i'm sure presented with a grubby arm they would do though!! In my experience phlebotomists and blood donor staff do it great because they do it day in day out, and have been trained to the same standard under the same protocol. But doctors on wards are awful, they've picked up their training at med school, at various different work placements on rotation round clinical areas, they're all trained by different people and they all do it different. And they all think they know best just because they are doctors. We reject dozens of samples received in the lab every day and the majority of them are off ward doctors.

I'd also add that an experienced lab Biomedical scientist can interpret blood test results far better than some doctors. Its frightening some of they questions we get asked by supposedly qualified doctors!!

smartie12

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

You guys are a mine of information - I love you! . Okay, while I'm on a roll here (and because I've been staring at the needlemarks on my hands for no apparent reason), if a nurse can't draw blood from the inside of your arm/elbow/whatever or the back of your hand, what then? First nurse said there were no other options, but I find that hard to believe.

QUOTE]

I have really naughty veins but have been having blood tests, sometimes weekly, for years now.

I've been in hospital before when NO-ONE was able to get blood out of me and in the end I think a doctor had to get it from my wrist I may be wrong as it was a while ago:o

All the nurses at my GP's surgery see my name on their list of patients and try and swap me! I caught them out when I got married and had a different surname:rotfl:

Penny-Pincher!!

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

You guys are a mine of information - I love you! . Okay, while I'm on a roll here (and because I've been staring at the needlemarks on my hands for no apparent reason), if a nurse can't draw blood from the inside of your arm/elbow/whatever or the back of your hand, what then? First nurse said there were no other options, but I find that hard to believe.

I have regular blood tests (up to 3 a week) and if they cant get a vein in back of my hand or forearm, then will try anywhere up my arm starting at the side of my wrist to above my elbow. It will depend on the competence of the nurse/doc taking the blood. When I was very ill last year, I had blood taken from my leg and once my neck:eek::eek::eek::eek:

PP
xx

Katgrit

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

if a nurse can't draw blood from the inside of your arm/elbow/whatever or the back of your hand, what then? First nurse said there were no other options, but I find that hard to believe.

It depends a lot on what tests you need and thus how much blood, and in what tubes the lab need. And also how important the tests are and how patients the staff are!! If you're lying in a hospital bed a few days after an op the staff might just leave it and try again tomorrow. If the staff are patient or have plenty of time (or a boss who wont take no for an answer!) then they can go for tiny veins in sides of elbows, arms, so many places there are veins near the surface that people dont see. As a last resort we dont need a vein, we can just do a pinprick (as diabetics do) in a thumb and "milk" the thumb to get blood out drop by drop. Obviously this wont be sufficient if you need 4 full tubes taking! We can do toes, fingers, heels (routine on babies) and earlobes. As a very very last report (usually iv drug users with all veins collapsed and shot to pieces) its possible to use veins in the groin. But as you can imagine we aren't keen on this!! On the very VERY rare occasions i know of, with junkies who know their needles better than any doctor or nurse, they will be given the necessary equipment and be left on their own for a few minutes to take it themselves.(but this is probably NOT official policy!!) Not pleasant!!

karmacookie

Hi wolfsong

I've sent you a pm, hope you find it useful!