I'm not a Nurse but I'm a Labratory Technician and I have much experience drawing blood. When I went to school we were trained to always wear gloves, wash your hands, and always clean the area before we draw anyone. However once you get in the real world where everybody is different, you still do all those things however not everyone has monstrous veins that are popping out of their arms. Sometimes certain patients do not have any veins seen peripherally. So we have to FEEL for veins (This is when we put on gloves) and palpitate for veins. However, in these occasions even gloves are hard to feel through. So what I do once I feel a vein. I sanitize the area and once that's done and all of our supplies is ready (sterile needle, tubes, cotton) the vein I couldn't see is now somewhere in this spot that was just sanitized so I'll whip my gloved finger and have to feel for the vein that needs to be drawn. From my standpoint I just want to poke my patient once so since I can not see the vein I have to feel the vein and that is all I have as a sense to draw a patients blood with just one poke. So I'm just trying to explain our side as well. We are trained to take every precaution we can to protect our patient and ourselves and we do our best. Sometimes drawing blood is not easy and it can be stressful. However we want you to be comfortable as well and you have every right to tell someone to do something when it comes to your healthcare. However no gloves, washing of the hands, or sanitizing the area is just unacceptable.
It helps nurses learn about hygiene, that doesn't mean they will bat 100% all the time. Accidentally and there has been cases of intentional as well with medical professionals.
I do not look when getting blood tests due to fears. The nurse could do anything I wouldn't know. After my last blood test I felt swishing up and down my body, a few days later I developed some lumps, large ones, one on my head, one on my back leg and one on my back neck.
I wondered about the blood test too, if the nurse could have done something to me.
I think the procedure of opening the needle packs before the patient even enters the room should be done away with.
You want the patient to not have worry. So do it when they are in the room
I do not look when getting blood tests due to fears. The nurse could do anything I wouldn't know. After my last blood test I felt swishing up and down my body, a few days later I developed some lumps, large ones, one on my head, one on my back leg and one on my back neck.
I wondered about the blood test too, if the nurse could have done something to me.
I think the procedure of opening the needle packs before the patient even enters the room should be done away with.
You want the patient to not have worry. So do it when they are in the room
Hi. I had the exact same experience a few days ago. I went into the doctors office to have blood tests. He performed it himself. There was no swab used. He literally took a needle lying open from a tray. There were many other things on the tray as well. It didn't look sterile. He also did not wear gloves. While I have read all the helpful comments on there being no risk of blood associated viruses such as HIV, my concern is the needle and infections associated with non-sterile needles.
Did anything come of this? Did you get sick? I had this experience too. The nurse wore no gloves touched my vein then gave me a needle. I’m scared too.
Happens to me all the time when I go for a blood test and I don’t find the nurse very friendly
I have had the same experience as RockaGal94688.
Monkey29368453- I am sorry, although I am grateful for the information you have given, I feel your advice is not foolproof. HIV cannot always be picked up in blood tests. Cuts are not always visible. And we are dealing with microorganisms.
"always sterile and never used more than once in a health care setting"-you cannot guarantee this- there has been malpractice in the UK.
" it is very UNLIKELY as you USUALLY need the blood to go into someones blood stream "- too much reliance on statistics. If I may advise you as you may still be a trainee, asI was advised in my nurse training many years ago, please regard every patient as a potential HIV risk. I believe, that patients should regard all medical staff as also being bloodborne health risks. So, I believe, your advice of "nurse/doctor to wash their hands, wear gloves and use a wipe" should be mandatory and that gloves should not have touched ANY other surface prior to touching puncture area. The gloves worn by nurse/doctor/phlebotomist should not touch any other area after puncture procedure to protect others.I have known staff touch computer keyboards, stationary, door handles and then touch puncture area! some of your advice inyour final paragraphs was helpful, thank you for that.
Monkey29368453- I am sorry, although I am grateful for the information you have given, I feel your advice is not foolproof. HIV cannot always be picked up in blood tests. Cuts are not always visible. And we are dealing with microorganisms.
"always sterile and never used more than once in a health care setting"-you cannot guarantee this- there has been malpractice in the UK.
" it is very UNLIKELY as you USUALLY need the blood to go into someones blood stream "- too much reliance on statistics. If I may advise you as you may still be a trainee, asI was advised in my nurse training many years ago, please regard every patient as a potential HIV risk. I believe, that patients should regard all medical staff as also being bloodborne health risks. So, I believe, your advice of "nurse/doctor to wash their hands, wear gloves and use a wipe" should be mandatory and that gloves should not have touched ANY other surface prior to touching puncture area. The gloves worn by nurse/doctor/phlebotomist should not touch any other area after puncture procedure to protect others.I have known staff touch computer keyboards, stationary, door handles and then touch puncture area! some of your advice inyour final paragraphs was helpful, thank you for that.
My colleague has been told she has too much immunoglobulin Ig A in her blood and has been referred to a haemotologist. What are the possible reasons for this?
Many thanks,
Carol
I was trying to find out info about the dangers of injecting someone else's blood. Besides the risk of getting things such as HIV and hepatitis, what other dangers come from the injection of someone else's blood?