MOD 1

•   The practice of Phlebotomy can be traced back to the time of the Stone Age when men used crude tools to cut vessels and drain blood from the body.
• The ancient Egyptians also practiced this as a form of "Bloodletting" as early as 1400 BC.
•  Hippocrates (460 - 377 BC) when health was believed to be dependent on the balance of the four humors
• four humors: Earth - blood & brain, Air - phlegm & lungs, Fire - black bile & spleen, and Water - yellow bile and gall bladder.
• o keep the balance, excess humor is removed by bloodletting.
•    During the middle ages, barber-surgeons performed bloodletting as part of the treatment for some illnesses.
• 17th and 18th century when phlebotomy was treated as a major therapy.
•      Phlebotomy has evolved from simple bloodletting in the ancient times and has become a fundamental diagnostic tool in the healthcare industry today.
• Two main methods used in Phlebotomy are:

  1. Venipuncture -method of blood collection using a needle inserted in a vein

  2. Capillary puncture - done by puncturing the skin.
• MAIN ROLE OF THE PHLEBOTOMIST: to collect blood samples for laboratory testing or for transfusion. 

   
•  A phlebotomist needs to maintain certain credentials in the continuous practice of the profession.
• certification- have completed the training by an accredited body as required by the healthcare institution
•  licensing -have passed the licensure examination and able to present a license granted by the official regulating body having satisfied the education, experience and examination requirements required of the profession.
• continuing education -attend trainings and seminars to keep himself updated about the changes in the practice of his profession.
• Patient-Client interaction. The Phlebotomist should be reassuring and pleasant when dealing with patients. 
• Qualities of Professionalism. A phlebotomist, being part of a service-oriented industry such as health care, is expected to practice professionalism at all times by exhibiting the following qualities:

  1. Professional appearance 
  2. Self-confidence 
  3. Integrity 
  4. Compassion 
  5. Self-motivation
  6. Dependability 
  7. Ethical behavior 
•  Verbal Communication. It involves expressing ideas through words
• Nonverbal Communication. It involves observing facial expression and other non-verbal communication cues
• Non-verbal communication includes: Kinesics , Proxemics, appearance (proper dress code) and touch (thoughtful expression).
• Active Listening.  Phlebotomists are able to build rapport by listening to their patients.
•  Active Listening. They should make effort to ensure that they have interpreted the message correctly by giving feedback.     
• Healthcare facilities are categorized into inpatient (non-ambulatory) which requires patients to stay in the hospital for at least one night to be serviced by tertiary care practitioners, and outpatient, wherein patients are served by secondary care specialists in the same day.
• Secondary level are non-departmentalized hospitals that attends the patients during the symptomatic stages of ailment.
•  Tertiary level includes medical centers and large hospitals where services are sophisticated coupled with highly technical facilities that can address serious diseases.

             
•   Homebound Services refers to procedures, tests, and services provided to a patient which are done at patient's home or at a long-term facility.
•   Public Health Services belong to the unit at the local level but are still under the jurisdiction of the health department of the government. Services are offered with little or no charge at all.
• Two major divisions of clinical laboratories:  anatomical and surgical pathology area; clinical analysis area
•  The anatomical and surgical pathology area handles tests related to histology (microscopic structure of tissues), cytology (structure of cells), and cytogenetics (chromosomal deficiencies & genetic disease)
•   Clinical analysis area is divided into seven (7) areas
• Antibody (Ab) screen - agglutination means presence of abnormal antibodies in the blood
• Direct antihuman globulin test (DAT) determines transfusion incompatibility
• Type and RH - shows the blood group (ABO) and type (Rh)
• type and crossmatch shows the blood group and screens for antibodies in the recipient's blood
•  Compatibility testing - detects antibodies and antigen in both recipient's and donor's blood
• Reference laboratory - a large and independent laboratory that provides routine & specialized analysis of blood, urine and tissue and offer fast turnaround or processing time.
• four humors

  blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile