Collecting Blood Samples: Step-by-Step Guide
Discovering how straightforward it is will explain why more individuals prefer to oversee their sampling. With Let’s Get Tested, blood, urethral, or vaginal specimens can be collected from anyone, anywhere, anytime. Patient-centered sampling at home alleviates anxiety for those wishing to avoid clinical settings’ contagion exposure and those concerned about traditional blood draws.
Program Includes Simple Steps
Step #1: Prepare for Collection
The healthcare professional will note your name, collection date, and time on the collection card and attach a copy of your ID.
Step #2: Collection
Once you’re ready with supplies nearby and the collection card accessible, the healthcare professional will use a lancet to prick your finger for a blood drop or draw blood from your arm with a needle.
Tip: Warm hands improve blood flow! Wash hands in warm water, hold a heating pad, or rub hands together to warm them up.
Step #3: Packaging Your Blood Sample for Lab Transport
The lab can process your sample if sufficient blood is provided. The healthcare professional will place the card inside a resealable biohazard bag with your sample, which goes into an envelope.
Step #4: Lab Processing Your Blood Sample
We collaborate with certified, government-accredited labs for high-quality testing. Once your sample reaches the lab, it is processed and analyzed, and the lab tracks it with the completed collection card and ID copy.
How Urethral Samples Are Collected
A urethral discharge culture is a lab test conducted on men and boys to identify germs causing urethral inflammation (urethritis). The urethra drains urine from the bladder. The healthcare professional cleans the urethral opening with sterile cotton or gauze. To collect the sample, they gently insert a cotton swab about 2 cm into the urethra and turn it. For an accurate sample, avoid urinating for 2 hours before the test, as it washes away necessary germs.
Swabbing typically causes discomfort, and due to vagus nerve stimulation, risks include infection, bleeding, and fainting in rare cases. The sample is promptly taken to the lab and observed for germ growth.
How Vaginal Swab Samples Are Collected
Do not book a vaginal swab collection while on antibiotics or within 7 days of taking them. Wait 24 hours after intercourse and avoid booking during menstruation.
Step #1
The healthcare professional notes your name, collection date, and time on the card and attaches a copy of your ID.
Step #2
They fill the tube fields with your name, date of birth, and patient ID number. They then affix the Kit ID sticker without covering your details.
Step #3
Inserting the swab into the vaginal canal, they gently swirl for 30 seconds.
Step #4
Place the swab (cotton tip down) into the tube, break the wand at the perforated line, and tightly seal the cap.
Step #5
Place the swab in a biohazard bag with an absorbent sheet.
If your test needs a blood sample alongside the vaginal swab, they’ll collect it too.
To return your sample, the healthcare professional places the biohazard bag with your sample in a secure box, then inside a return envelope for transit to the lab. For additional assistance, contact our Customer Experience Team.