Venous blood sampling is the most common invasive procedure in healthcare. A recent investigation performed by the Working group for Preanalytical Phase (WG-PRE) of the European Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) has shown that blood sampling in Europe is performed by different professions with significantly different levels of education, background, competence and skills.
Surprisingly, in some countries, even administrative staff is involved in venous blood sampling, with little if any education about the procedure and how it can affect the quality of the sample and patient results. Moreover, while guidelines for venous blood sampling are available (CLSI H3-A6), it has been shown that those guidelines are neither implemented worldwide, nor complied with adequately. Such low level of compliance clearly puts patients at risk. Any deviation from the recommended procedure can affect either the quality of the sample or patient well-being.
This webinar will review the steps in venous blood sample collection and handling, focusing on all possible sources or errors and error prevention opportunities. It will outline the most critical characteristics related to the patient’s condition, venous blood collection procedures and sample stability, provide recommendations for successful management of venous blood testing, and examine the tools and resources available for managing the quality of the venous blood sampling procedure.
Presenter
Prof. Ana-Maria Simundic, PhD
Specialist in Laboratory Medicine
Clinical Institute of Chemistry
University Hospital Center "SESTRE MILOSRDNICE"
Zagreb, Croatia