LatticeMLS
Menu

Module GLP-03 · Version 1.0

Capillary Collection and Difficult Draws

Select and perform capillary collection appropriately, understand why capillary blood is not automatically interchangeable with venous blood, and adapt safely when a venous draw is difficult.

Your next section

Start section 1

Read without an account. Sign in to save.

Who this module is for

Phlebotomists, medical laboratory technicians, and medical laboratory scientists who collect or evaluate capillary and difficult venous specimens

Learning objectives

  • Match heel, finger, and venous alternatives to patient age and test requirements
  • Explain capillary specimen composition and why it is not automatically interchangeable with venous samples
  • Prevent excessive squeezing, poor flow, clotting, contamination, and insufficient volume during capillary collection

How completion works

Mark every required section done and answer every knowledge check in those sections correctly. The final save completes the module automatically.

Sources

13 sources

  1. 1. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 42 CFR §493.1242, Specimen submission, handling, and referral. Current eCFR text.

    Source note · federal regulation

  2. 2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 42 CFR §493.1232, Standard: Specimen identification and integrity. Current eCFR text.

    Source note · federal regulation

  3. 3. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens. Current regulatory text.

    Source note · federal regulation

  4. 4. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Collection of Capillary Blood Specimens. 7th ed. CLSI standard GP42. Wayne, PA: CLSI; 2020.

    Source note · consensus standard

  5. 5. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Collection of Diagnostic Venous Blood Specimens. 8th ed. CLSI standard PRE02. Wayne, PA: CLSI; 2025.

    Source note · consensus standard

  6. 6. World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on drawing blood: best practices in phlebotomy. Geneva: WHO; 2010. CDC Stacks copy.

    Source note · professional society guidance

  7. 7. Leniček Krleža J, Dorotić A, Grzunov A, Maradin M. Capillary blood sampling: national recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2015;25(3):335-358. doi:10.11613/BM.2015.034.

    Source note · peer-reviewed literature

  8. 8. Becton, Dickinson and Company. BD Microtainer blood collection tubes, product family and current directions for use. Verify controlled, lot-current directions for use before production.

    Source note · manufacturer labeling

  9. 9. Association of Public Health Laboratories. Newborn Screening and Genetics: Overview.

    Source note · professional society guidance

  10. 10. Styer L. Dried Blood Spots: A Convenient and Easy-to-Collect Specimen Type. Association of Public Health Laboratories presentation; 2023.

    Source note · professional society guidance

  11. 11. Stolz LA, et al. Ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Emerg Med. 2023;64:39-47. PMID:36727865.

    Source note · peer-reviewed literature

  12. 12. Carr PJ, et al. Clinical practice pathways for difficult intravenous access: a systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2022;31:2247-2261. PMID:36038953.

    Source note · peer-reviewed literature

  13. 13. College of American Pathologists. All Common Checklist, COM.06000 Specimen Collection Manual (Phase II). CAP Accreditation Program, 12.09.2025 edition.

    Source note · accreditation standard