If a drunk driver is brought to the emergency room after a serious car accident where a mother and child were killed, and a police officer asks you to collect blood specimens for the drunk patient, describe how you would handle the situation

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: It is sometimes hard to separate your own feelings about a patient from your professional duties; however, regardless of what you think about this patient, you must always act professionally and with respect for every individual, including a drunk driver. It is not appropriate to judge the circumstances, but it is important to fulfill your job duties efficiently and effectively so that further investigation can take place knowing that the test specimen and laboratory results are accurate. Every hospital has SOPs for handling this type of emergency and for the appropriate requests to take place. Once you are authorized to collect the specimens, and assuming that a blood alcohol level is ordered, it is vitally important that identification procedures be followed and that the venipuncture or skin puncture sites be carefully prepared. Remember to use alternative skin cleansing products to avoid alcohol contamination of the specimen from an alcohol pad.