Venepuncture - How to take blood - OSCE guide

Taking blood from patients is something all medics need to get to grips with, because you'll be doing lots of it in clinical practice and during OSCE's. This video takes you through the full procedure step by step







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Identify your patient.

Check requistion order against labels to make sure all tests are ordered.

1. 
   
2. 3
   Wash Hands/Sanititize in view of patient.
3. 4
   Assemble your supplies. Take all the supplies needed first before going to the patient room so that you avoid entering and going outside the room needlessly.If drawing outpatient assemble all supplies needed.
4. 5
   Wear gloves.
5. 6
   Decide which arm you will be drawing from or let your patient decide and tie the tourniquet 2-3 inches from the antecubital fossa.
6. 7
   If no veins are palpable, have the patient make a fist, to get the vein to pop up. Don't allow patient to pump his/her fist.
7. 8
   Once a suitable vein is found, disinfect the area with the alcohol wipe. Wipe in a circular motion starting in the middle, moving outwards. Do not go over the same area again, as it will re-infect.
8. 9
   Remove the tourniquet until ready to draw. The specimen will be inaccurate and damage to the patient can be caused if the tourniquet is left on longer than a minute.
9. 10
   Wipe the same area with a sterile cotton gauze, in the same motion.
10. 11
    Do not touch the venipuncture site again. If you must touch it again to feel the vein, touch a clean alcohol pad first to sterilize your glove. You must do this every time you feel it.
11. 12
    With the needle attached to the tube holder (hub), ensure that the bevel of the needle is pointing up.
12. 13
    Anchor the vein from below the intended puncture site using the thumb of the opposite hand, and insert the needle at no more than 15 degrees.
13. 14
    Grab a tube from your tray and using your hub for support, push the tube into the hub and check for blood flow.
14. 15
    Allow the tube to fill. Remove the filled tube from the tube holder.
15. 16
    Mix the contents if tube used has additives by inverting tub 5-8 times (do not shake).
16. 17
    Fill remaining tubes and repeat previous step. When last tube is filled, remove vacutube and tourniquet.
17. 18
    Have a piece of gauze ready in the opposite (anchoring) hand, remove needle, and place gauze on top of the venipuncture site. Apply pressure.
18. 19
    Activate the needle's safety feature and discard the needle in a sharps container.
19. 20
    Label the tubes in view of the patient.
20. 21
    Ensure that the patient has stopped bleeding, and apply tape and gauze, or a bandage to the venipuncture site.
21. 22
    Discard waste and put materials away.