Injection safety
Newly published
WHO Guidelines on drawing blood: best practices in phlebotomy
Phlebotomy uses large, hollow needles to remove blood specimens for lab testing or blood donation. Each step in the process carries risks - both for patients and health workers. Patients may be bruised. Health workers may receive needle-stick injuries. Both can become infected with bloodborne organisms such as hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis or malaria. Moreover, each step affects the quality of the specimen and the diagnosis. A contaminated specimen will produce a misdiagnosis. Clerical errors can prove fatal.
The new WHO guidelines provide recommended steps for safe phlebotomy and reiterate accepted principles for drawing, collecting blood and transporting blood to laboratories/blood banks.
- intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular needle injections;
- intravenous infusions and injections;
- dental injections;
- phlebotomy; and
- lancet procedures.
The document complements and expands existing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and related materials.
