It has been well reported over recent years that most errors within the total testing process occur in the pre-analytical phase (46%-68.2%), an area that is usually outside of the direct control of the laboratory and which includes sample collection (phlebotomy). National and international (WHO, CLSI) guidelines recommend that the order of draw of blood during phlebotomy should be blood culture...

Diagnostic blood samples collected by phlebotomy are the most common type of biological specimens drawn and sent to laboratory medicine facilities for being analyzed, thus supporting caring physicians in patient diagnosis, follow-up and/or therapeutic monitoring. Phlebotomy, a relatively invasive medical procedure, is indeed critical for the downstream procedures accomplished either in the anal...

PURPOSE Prolonged patient wait times in the outpatient oncology infusion unit indicated a need to streamline phlebotomy processes by using existing resources to decrease laboratory turnaround time and improve patient wait time. METHODS Using the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) method, a project to streamline phlebotomy processes within the outpatient oncology infusion unit ...

AIM To determine whether venepuncture accords with the accepted (BPA) criteria of not causing more than minimal physical or psychological distress during non-therapeutic research. METHODS Ninety two venepunctures were carried out in 69 neonates between days 6 and 10 of life, and in some cases, on day 28. Parents were fully informed of the need for the procedure and allowed to attend while it ...

AIM To compare the effectiveness of EMLA cream and Ametop gel in providing analgesia for venous cannulation. METHODS Single blind study in 120 children. RESULTS Both anaesthetic agents produced adequate analgesia. However, Ametop gel was more effective, with a statistically significant difference in the pain scores of the two groups (p < 0.05).

After an inpatient phlebotomy-laboratory test request audit for 2 general inpatient wards identified 5 tests commonly ordered on a recurring basis, a multidisciplinary committee developed a proposal to minimize unnecessary phlebotomies and laboratory tests by reconfiguring the electronic order function to limit phlebotomy-laboratory test requests to occur singly or to recur within one 24-hour w...

The effects of primary and secondary polycythemia on circulatory and ventilatory events have been the center of much investigation. There has, however, been sharp disagreement about the clinical merit of phlebotomy in cases of secondary polycythemia. Howarth, et al.' and Lewis, et al.,' among others, have concluded, although for somewhat different reasons, that therapeutic phlebotomy is detrime...