The nurse is preparing to obtain a blood specimen. Which is the most important intervention for the nurse to complete before obtaining a blood specimen?
a. Verify patient identification.
b. Perform patient skin preparation.
c. Ask the patient for an arm preference.
d. Tell the patient that the procedure is slightly painful.
A
The nurse verifies patient identification before obtaining the blood specimen and uses at least two patient identifiers to ensure accurate identification because the nurse exposes the patient to potentially life-threatening complications by mislabeling a specimen. Skin preparation occurs only after the patient has been identified correctly. The remaining interventions are helpful, but only after the patient has been correctly identified.
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