Author Question: You observe someone performing a venipuncture. What personal protective equipment should be used in ... (Read 137 times)

jayhills49 · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

You observe someone performing a venipuncture. What personal protective equipment should be used in the procedure? Was there any equipment that should have been used that was not used?

Question 2

After drawing blood from a patient, you puncture yourself in the left thumb. What actions should you take immediately?

janeli1 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The personal protective equipment that should be available to use when collecting blood is gloves, mask, lab coat, sharps container, hand cleaner, and eye protection. Not all equipment will be used with each patient. A routine venipuncture, with no potential for splattering or an aerosol being created, would require only gloves, lab coat, hand cleaner, and sharps container.

Answer to Question 2

In case of an accidental needlestick, you should:
Clean the site.
Inform your supervisor of the incident.
Contact the personnel health department of the hospital or health care facility. If the needlestick occurs after office hours, inform the emergency contact, as established by the employer.
Obtain HIV consent from the patient. Many states require that the patient give written consent before the patient can be tested for HIV. Usually the personnel health department or the nursing unit takes care of this detail.
The health care worker also needs to sign consent for HIV testing and for having blood drawn.
The patient and associate are screened for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis. Immunization is given if necessary.
Prophylaxis drug treatment is offered to the employee after exposure.