Phlebotomist - Patient Communication
Phlebotomists today have the everyday pressure of dealing with patients of all different sorts. From newborns to the elderly, there is still the same protocol to be taken to ensure the phlebotomists and patients safety is secure.
First the phlebotomist must identify the patient correctly. In different sites are there are different rules and the way they do patient identification. There are typically two common ways this can be done. This consists of the band the patient wears that the hospital provides and a verbal identification from the patient stating his first and last and date of birth. Being a Phlebotomist, you should be fully aware of the consequences that can occur from falsely identifying a patient.
First and foremost failing to identify a patient correctly can lead to over or under treatment of a patient, which could end up in death or further sickness. Secondly a Phlebotomist risks losing their job if identification is incorrect on their end. This is where communicating with the patient is ALWAYS a key exponent. Sometimes communication with patients may be difficult depending on who the patient is and their attitude towards you. In communication there are three main aspects verbal, non-verbal, and listening. If there is not proper communication between the patient and phlebotomist there will almost always be an error.
According to the web article Medical Discourse: A Glimpse into Communication in a Health Care Environment “discourse in this profession can generally be broken down into three categories; written, oral, and technological discourse.” From this reference we can conclude that written discourse is used most often when communicating with other doctors or nurses, as to oral is used most often when talking with patients. Technological discourse is used to communicate most effectively when there is a greater distance between physicians.
Many people are afraid they will mess up in front of the patient or even sound unprofessional, this is why in the CNM Phlebotomy Lab, students practice exactly what they will say when they need to identify a patient. Students will be tested on the steps to identify a patient along with the steps of hand washing and the way you draw blood.
First the phlebotomist must identify the patient correctly. In different sites are there are different rules and the way they do patient identification. There are typically two common ways this can be done. This consists of the band the patient wears that the hospital provides and a verbal identification from the patient stating his first and last and date of birth. Being a Phlebotomist, you should be fully aware of the consequences that can occur from falsely identifying a patient.
First and foremost failing to identify a patient correctly can lead to over or under treatment of a patient, which could end up in death or further sickness. Secondly a Phlebotomist risks losing their job if identification is incorrect on their end. This is where communicating with the patient is ALWAYS a key exponent. Sometimes communication with patients may be difficult depending on who the patient is and their attitude towards you. In communication there are three main aspects verbal, non-verbal, and listening. If there is not proper communication between the patient and phlebotomist there will almost always be an error.
According to the web article Medical Discourse: A Glimpse into Communication in a Health Care Environment “discourse in this profession can generally be broken down into three categories; written, oral, and technological discourse.” From this reference we can conclude that written discourse is used most often when communicating with other doctors or nurses, as to oral is used most often when talking with patients. Technological discourse is used to communicate most effectively when there is a greater distance between physicians.
Many people are afraid they will mess up in front of the patient or even sound unprofessional, this is why in the CNM Phlebotomy Lab, students practice exactly what they will say when they need to identify a patient. Students will be tested on the steps to identify a patient along with the steps of hand washing and the way you draw blood.