The common belief of patients who visit hospitals and clinics to have their blood taken is that all the personnel in charge of the blood drawing operation has one form or another of phlebotomy certification. It rarely occurs to the unsuspecting individual that he should ask for credentials on the phlebotomy certification from the person puncturing his vein and withdrawing the sample, mainly due to the misconception that nothing can go wrong. Is that always the case? Not in the opinion of several reputable veterans in the phlebotomy field, among which we can count Dennis Ernst. Taking blood samples in an improper manner can lead to disastrous results, which will be reviewed as follows.
Injuries and broken vessels
The insertion of a needle into the blood vessel is a delicate procedure that requires a great deal of care and expertise. In a nutshell, a phlebotomist with little to no experience is only familiar with the fact that the patient has to roll up his sleeve and to make a fist with his hand in order to highlight the vein from which the blood sample is drawn. Unfortunately, things are not always as straightforward as presented in theory and many patients have very thin blood vessel walls that can easily be ruptured by the insertion of the needle. Moreover, in this situation the blood can flow freely underneath the skin causing an ugly bruise that is also potentially harmful if not controlled. Alternatively, the improper needle insertion could hit and tear a muscle, damage a nerve or even trigger a fracture, causing undesirable effects and painful sensations.
Contamination issues
Improper sterilization of the needle and other medical equipment used in the venipuncture is also one of the primary hazards of not working with a certified phlebotomist. There are strict guidelines and procedures in place regarding the correct way to sterilize the medical equipment that novice phlebotomists are most likely not aware of. As a direct consequence, an individual may walk into the medical office in a healthy manner and leave with a severe health problem. At the same time, unprofessional personnel may contaminate the sample after it has been withdrawn by manipulating it incorrectly. This brings us to the next point.
False positives
The term false positive refers to diagnosing a patient with a disease that he does not suffer from based on the wrong premises. The contamination of the blood sample due to faulty manipulation is the main cause for this problem. While the implications may not seem dire and the obvious resolve is taking an additional sample, things are not black and white here either. An improper diagnosis could lead to the wrong course of action treatment-wise, so the health of the patient is put at risk.
Addressing the problem at its source
The main grounds why so many individuals are allowed to perform this delicate procedure are the lack of consistent regulations in this profession and the constant need of medical personnel. However, many specialists have constantly requested the authorities to take a stand in the matter and require at least the minimal amount of training, even though it may result in a shortage of candidates for the massively available positions.
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