Phlebotomy -A blood test guide

There are a number of reasons why your Doctor may request that you have a blood sample taken. This might be to help with a diagnosis, to monitor treatment, or to exclude certain conditions.

In most cases these samples will be taken by a procedure known as Phlebotomy or Venipuncture, i.e. taking blood from a vein.

The information below is very important please read carefully.

Increased risk of bruising may arise with patients that:

• Have administered drugs such as Warfarin or Aspirin
• Have conditions such as a bleeding disorder or low platelets (thrombocytopenia)
• Have swollen arm due to oedema
• Patients age

In order to help us reduce the above risk, please tell us if you have any of the above conditions or if you have had a problem inthe past after a blood test.

What happens to the bloodsamples?

Blood samples are tested in the pathology laboratory and the results are sent to the patient/guardian and/or referring clinician.

Some samples may need to be sent away for further tests or stored in case we need to refer to them in the future.

By law patient information are protect and all of your test results are stored and treated confidentially. No-one except the medical teams looking after you can look at your results, or have access to, your test results without the need to obtain first your permission unless you have given us other instructions.

If you have any questions about this procedure please ask the member of staff taking the sample or the person responsible for your care.

Data Protection

Any personal information is kept confidential. There may be occasions where your information needs to share with other care professionals to ensureyou receive the best care possible.