Infections are heavily widespread in today’s world and bacteria are its primary cause. They are of varying strains and can be symptoms of other underlying diseases. It is very important to determine what type of organisms causes these kinds of infections as they can help determine which medicine can be used to cure and prevent future infections.
As phlebotomists, we are all aware of microorganisms living all around us. They are too tiny to see without a microscope yet they are abundant on Earth, especially on us. The human body is home to billions of living bacteria, which are capable of causing diseases. Although there are normal flora found in the nose, mouth and skin, transmission of infectious diseases is still permissible. Equipped with this knowledge, we protect…show more content… Adding to this, a phlebotomist can accidentally pricks themselves when drawing blood or disposing of needles which increases the risk of contracting illnesses such as HIV or syphilis.
There are also possible risks due to the patient's status or condition when in contact with phlebotomists. A phlebotomist draws blood everyday from different patients that can either be: severely ill, admitted in Intensive Care Unit, or highly contagious. The caveat is that these phlebotomists do not know what kind of pathogen these patients have after drawing blood. This poses even greater potential to give more harm to the next patient.
This is termed as Nosocomial infections or Hospital-Acquired infections. These are infections acquired from the hospital and healthcare providers. Invasive procedures like drawing of blood increase the risk of nosocomial infections. However there can be cases that merely touching the patient can also be a risk if they are carrying an antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Objective of the Study
The researchers formulated the following objectives to aid them with their