After acquiring basic phlebotomy techniques, refining your technique can raise your skill to an art form. The idea is to maximize sample quality and minimize patient discomfort while decreasing the time between receipt of the order and completion of the test.
Before Venipuncture
The best phlebotomy techniques actually begin when you receive the order. Prioritize your orders, putting emergency draws first, time sensitive tests next, then regular testing that makes up the bulk of the draws for a shift. Organize the regular draws in a logical fashion. Make sure you have any necessary supplies on hand and in sufficient quantities. Any special transport equipment, like refrigeration, should be prepared and on hand. The more organized you are, the more efficiently you will work, and the higher the quality of your work will be.
At Venipuncture
At the time of venipuncture, you have two competing priorities: quality sample procurement, and patient comfort. Keep both in mind and maximize both as much as possible. Follow the guidelines of your facility for proper patient identification. Place your tourniquet high enough on the arm not to interfere with the draw, and remove it as quickly as you can. A tourniquet left in place too long is not only uncomfortable, but can also skew test results. Strongly adhere to protocols for the order of draw; it is possible to contaminate one tube with the additives from another, negatively affecting test results. Use only good puncture techniques to avoid undue trauma to the patient and sample. Rock the tubes as soon as the draw is complete to insure complete mixing. Follow the guidelines of your facility for proper tube and test labeling and ordering.
After Venipuncture
Return all samples to the lab as quickly as possible. Follow any special transport instructions exactly. Each lab has its own system for logging in samples; be sure to follow log in protocols exactly. If you are to spin the tubes, be familiar with the centrifuge. If you are to log samples and turn them over to a tech, do just that, calling their attention to any stat orders or special directions.
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