Phlebotomy for Nurses and Nursing Personnel

D. J. Ernst & C. Ernst. Healthstar Press, 2001, (812) 633-4636, (http://www.phlebotomy.com), $29.95.

This text is designed as a resource for all staff involved in phlebotomy practice. By breaking the publication into eight chapters with extensive appendices, the authors present the information clearly and in a way as to not overwhelm the reader.

The material is intended to concentrate on the "meat and potatoes" of phlebotomy practice and not on the tedious anatomy and physiology and blood composition provided in basic nursing courses. The stated goal of the text is to "teach techniques and principles that protect the nurse from accidental needlesticks, protect the patient from injury and result in the collection and transport of increased quality specimens to the lab."

The publication is extremely well written and includes risk management, actual phlebotomy practice, infection control, use of personal safety devices, common legal issues, and valuable appendices. The explanations given for why some successfully drawn specimens result in inaccurate results will educate those who tend to blame the lab.

As a previous phlebotomy instructor for both technologists and nurses I recommend this publication to those involved in training professional staff.