Infection prevention and control
Hand hygiene, PPE, skin preparation and cleaning equipment in phlebotomy.
Why it matters
Every blood draw breaks the skin. Good infection prevention protects the patient, the phlebotomist and the sample, in a hospital or in someone’s home.
Hand hygiene
Clean your hands before and after each patient, before the procedure and after contact with blood. Use soap and water when hands are visibly soiled; alcohol hand rub otherwise, unless local guidance says soap and water for a particular infection.
Gloves and PPE
Wear disposable gloves for venepuncture and change them between patients. Gloves do not replace hand hygiene. Use additional PPE where there is a risk of splashing.
Skin preparation
Clean the site with the antiseptic your local policy specifies, let it dry, and do not touch it again before inserting the needle. Blood cultures have their own, stricter preparation.
Equipment and surfaces
Use single-use tourniquets or clean reusable ones between patients. Clean your tray or work surface and your transport box regularly, and carry a spill kit.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between the UK nations and change over time; check official guidance or take advice for your situation.
Related topics
Sharps
Using, containing and disposing of sharps safely.
Temperature control for samples
Keeping blood samples within the laboratory’s temperature and time requirements.
Consent
Valid consent for blood collection, and what to do when a patient may lack capacity.
Incident reporting
What to report, how to write it up, and why near misses matter.
Lola Dispatch is invitation-only
Lola Dispatch offers mobile blood draw jobs to approved phlebotomists. We add phlebotomists by invitation.
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