Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D J Ernst

Publications and source records attributed to D J Ernst.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

The right way to do blood cultures.

Blood samples contaminated by skin-surface bacteria can increase hospital stays, cause the needless use of antibiotics, and cost thousands of dollars per incident. A few simple steps can reduce contamination and save patients and healthcare providers money, time, and heartache.

Asepsis↗

Phlebotomy on trial.

Collecting blood specimens can carry an element of risk for your laboratory-errors in judgment and technique may cause injuries that leave you vulnerable to litigation. In this article, an expert witness discusses six ways to protect your lab from phlebotomy liability.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Four indefensible phlebotomy errors and how to prevent them.

The author identifies four errors in phlebotomy that are effectively indefensible in a court of law: patient misidentification, improper angle of insertion, improper vein selection, and ineffective training and evaluation of those performing venipunctures. Strategies to avoid these errors include the implementation and enforcement of specific administrative and procedural policies. A side bar on the "Ten Commandments of Phlebotomy Liability" accompanies this article.

Clinical Competence↗