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Patient Preparation
What has your personal experience taught you?
No clinical procedure should be performed without a discussion first and the gaining of informed consent. And this doesn’t just mean asking if you can ‘take some blood’
Seems obvious but make sure you have the right person first! (Do not tell anyone their name!)
Explain the procedure
Be specific and honest
Answer questions (or find someone that can)
know a bit about the rationale/implications of results if asked (within an honest scope of your knowledge)
Address potential complications
Check relevant medical history (fainting? Bleeding disorders? Relevant medications? Allergies? Trypanophobia?)
Costs
Consider unconscious and confused patients and children and those with learning difficulties.
See annex F in the WHO guidelines for a template script.
CONSENT - IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT!! - to the procedure and the phlebotomist (you!) Make sure you have completed consent and mental capacity act training. Ensure you have also done safeguarding and chaperone training too (you will potentially be asking a patient to remove clothing items for instance...).
Pause for thought: How would you explain the procedure to a patient in YOUR area of practice?
Why do YOU need to take blood?
Research? Monitoring? Screening? Antibodies? Diagnosing? Blood grouping? Blood donation? Drug monitoring? Cosmetic? ...
Think about exactly how you might explain it and gain consent in your own practice with the test/s you will be taking blood for. Remember that consent should always be INFORMED. Check the patient knows why they are there. And don't forget that YOU also need to know (roughly) why you are about to do an invasive procedure on them. There may be some learning to do there too after the course...
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