This quick, simple procedure lets us collect some of your blood for testing. A blood draw gives us a lot of info about your health. It helps us find problems you may not be aware of. And, if we're treating you for an issue, it can let us see how well your care plan is working.
Before a blood draw, find out if there's anything you need to do to prepare. You may need to skip eating or drinking for a certain period of time before your blood is taken. But that's not always the case. So make sure you ask what you need to do.
Now it's time to draw your blood. First, you expose your arm, and we put a tight elastic band around it. This helps us see your veins more easily. When we find a vein that's good for a needle stick, we clean that area of skin. Then, we insert a needle into the vein. We collect your blood in a syringe or in one or more vials that we attach to the needle. Drawing blood just takes a moment, and most people don't find it to be painful.
When we're done, we release the band on your arm, press some gauze to your skin and take out the needle. We put a small bandage on your skin. Your blood will be checked by the lab, and we'll contact you with the results. For more info about blood draws, talk to your doctor.