Laboratory phlebotomy. College of American Pathologists Q-Probe study of patient satisfaction and complications in 23,783 patients.

Outpatients from 630 institutions participated in a phlebotomy module of Q-Probes, a quality assurance program of the College of American Pathologists, Northfield, Ill. This module assessed patient outcome measurements of complications, discomfort, and satisfaction with the phlebotomy procedure. Of the 29,700 ostensibly healthy individuals registered, 80.1% returned postcards containing measurements and assessments they made about the procedure and information recorded by the phlebotomist. The median time required for phlebotomy was 6 minutes, with 25% of patients requiring less than 5 minutes and 10% more than 21 minutes for completion of the procedure. The average number of phlebotomy attempts per patient was 1.03, with 95 patients (0.4%) experiencing three to 11 attempts. Ecchymoses occurred in 4048 (16.6%) attempts, with the median size of ecchymosis being 15.1 mm. On the average, an outstanding employee was identified by patients 46.6% of the time. The discomfort caused by the needle puncture was more than expected by 35.3% of patients. Although 98.6% of the patients were satisfied, 336 patients were dissatisfied with the procedure. We conclude that the technical skills of phlebotomists and patient satisfaction with phlebotomy are outstanding, but that patient discomfort from the procedure needs to be minimized.