PRMLS2

• Blood is a common specimen collected for laboratory analysis
• Blood circulates throughout the body and can carry evidence of the disease causing agent
• Blood represents life and is a common topic in literature, poetry, and plays
• Historically, blood was considered a "Living Force" by Greeks and Romans, believed to influence mental and physical characteristics
• Phlebotomy is the process of collecting blood from a client for diagnostic purposes
• In ancient Egypt, blood was believed to cure diseases and rid the body of illness or "evil spirits"
• Hippocrates believed in bloodletting to balance the body humors and restore health
• Barbers in the Middle Ages practiced bloodletting and used a red and white striped pole as a symbol
• President George Washington's death marked the end of bloodletting as a common medical practice
• Leeches were used in the 19th century for bloodletting and are still used today in biotherapy
• The invention of the microscope in the 19th century led to a better understanding of diseases and the end of bloodletting as a cure
• 'Phlebotomy' comes from the Greek words phlebos (veins) and tome (incision)
• Bloodletting for therapeutic reasons may have begun in Egypt around 1400 B.C.
• Hippocrates believed in restoring balance in the body through bloodletting based on the theory of the four body humors
• Barbers and surgeons specialized in bloodletting during the Middle Ages
• Traits of a skilful phlebotomist include respect, patience, selflessness, compassion, excellent communication, sense of responsibility and accountability, and stamina/endurance
• Communication is essential in phlebotomy to gather information and accomplish goals
• Communication is important in the practice of phlebotomy to gather information about the client, the tests to be done, when the sample should be collected, and to provide information to the client about the process and the need for extraction
• Phlebotomy work involves interaction with other healthcare workers, such as nurses and Medical Laboratory Scientists within the institution
• Microbes are very small organisms that can cause acquired diseases and can be transmitted through various means like air, water, food, clothing, and equipment
• Microorganisms that cause diseases are called pathogens, while some microbes like Normal Flora or Microbiota are beneficial to humans
• Relationships between microbes and the host include Mutualism, Parasitism, Commensalism, Mutual Antagonism, and Opportunists
• The Epidemiologic Triangle for infectious diseases consists of Etiologic Agent, Environment, and Host
• Microbes can enter the body through portals of entry like broken skin, percutaneous injections, ingestion, inhalation, and sexual intercourse
• Stages in the disease process include Prodromal/Incubation Period, Clinical/Illness Period, Period of Decline/Defervescence, and Convalescence
• Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) can occur within 48 hours or more after admission to the hospital and are classified based on severity, host involvement, and occurrence
• Classifications of infection include Acute, Chronic, Latent, Localized, Systemic, Focal, Sporadic, Endemic, Epidemic, and Pandemic
• Communicable diseases are illnesses transmitted from an etiologic agent or reservoir to a susceptible host directly or indirectly, examples include Contagious Diseases like meningococcemia