Venepuncture

Introduction

• Begin by washing your hands
• Introduce yourself, explain that you need to take some blood and gain verbal consent
• Check the patient's name and date of birth against her wrist band and notes
• Ask if she has any significant past medical history, clotting disorders or transmissible blood diseases

• Ensure you have kit including tourniquet, green needle, syringe or vacutainer, blood culture bottles, alcohol wipe, cotton wool and tape, sharps bin
• Wash your hands
• Wear an apron, eye protection and gloves
• Firmly tie the tourniquet around the arm (if a mannequin stating this may suffice)
• Palpate the antecubital fossa or given area for a vein
• Clean the area with an alcohol wipe and allow time to dry
• Insert the needle or vacutainer into the vein watching for flash back
• Take off 10ml of blood
• Release the tourniquet
• Carefully withdraw the needle and apply cotton wool/swab with pressure
• Fill the anaerobic bottle first with 5ml and then the anaerobic bottle
• Dispose of the shape and syringe
• Apply tape or plaster
• Thank patient
• Dispose of protective clothing in orange bag
• Wash hands
• Offer to label the blood cultures