Patient Preparation and Identification Flashcards
7 cards from real Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Preparation and Identification flashcards as text
A patient taking diuretics has been asked to collect a 24-hour urine specimen. What instruction is most important?
Answer: Discard the first morning void, then collect all urine for the next 24 hours
The standard 24-hour urine protocol begins with discarding the first morning void and collecting all subsequent urine through and including the next morning's first void.
Which pre-analytical variable is most likely to affect potassium (K+) results if not controlled?
Answer: Prolonged tourniquet application causing hemolysis
Prolonged tourniquet use can cause hemolysis, releasing intracellular potassium and falsely elevating serum K+ levels.
When collecting a specimen from a minor under 18, whose consent is typically required before the procedure?
Answer: A parent or legal guardian, unless the minor is legally emancipated
Minors generally cannot provide their own medical consent; a parent or legal guardian must authorize the procedure unless the minor is legally emancipated.
A patient has an IV infusing in the left antecubital vein. Where should the phlebotomist draw?
Answer: The right arm or another site distal to the IV
Drawing from a site ipsilateral to or below an IV infusion risks specimen dilution; the contralateral arm or a distal alternative site is preferred.
A phlebotomist collects blood from a patient who later reports the phlebotomist never confirmed their identity. This is an example of:
Answer: A pre-analytical error
Failure to verify patient identity before collection is a pre-analytical error that can result in wrong-patient specimen labeling.
A patient who is blind cannot read their ID wristband. How should the phlebotomist verify identity?
Answer: Ask the patient to verbally state their full name and date of birth and confirm against the wristband
The patient can verbally state their identifiers while the phlebotomist visually confirms the wristband independently, fulfilling the two-identifier requirement.
Which action should be taken if a patient experiences nausea immediately before venipuncture?
Answer: Have the patient lie down, apply a cool cloth, and postpone the draw until they recover
Nausea can be a vasovagal prodrome; the patient should be positioned safely and the draw delayed until they are stable.