Blood tests are a helpful tool for doctors and nurses to check for a variety of diseases and conditions. They also help to check that your organs are functioning correctly and any treatment you may be having is effective. With our auxiliary nursing service, you can have a range of blood tests taken at home so you don't have to worry about fitting a trip to the centre into your routine.
Specifically, blood tests can help our auxiliary nursing service:
- Assess how well your crucial organs, such as your heart, kidneys, liver and thyroid, are working.
- Diagnose a range of diseases and conditions such as cancer, HIV, diabetes and anaemia.
- Decide whether you have any risk factors for heart disease.
- Check whether the medicines you are taking are being effective.
- Examine how well your blood is clotting.
Overview
Blood tests are very common, and all of the nurses in our auxiliary nursing service will have carried out multiple blood tests. When you have routine checkups as part of our auxiliary nursing service, your nurse may be instructed to take a blood test to check your body is working as it should.
The majority of blood tests don't require any special preparations from you, however, there will be some tests where you will be instructed not to eat for 8 to 12 hours beforehand. Your doctor or nurse will discuss this with you in advance.
During a blood test, your nurse will take just a small sample of blood. This will usually be drawn from a prominent vein in your arm. With our auxiliary nursing service, the procedure is quick and easy, although you may experience some temporary discomfort as the needle is used to draw blood from your vein.
Your blood sample will then be sent to a lab for analysis. Here, botanists will check your white blood cell count and test the fluid - or plasma - to measure the levels of other substances in your blood. The results of these tests will help to identify any early stages or health problems and highlight whether any treatments or lifestyle changes are needed.
Some of the most common blood tests carried out by our auxiliary nursing service are:
- A complete blood count (CBC)
- Tests to identify the levels of enzymes in your blood
- Blood chemistry tests
- Tests to analyse your risk of developing heart disease.
What To Expect After Blood Tests
Once the needle is withdrawn from your vein, your nurse will tell you to apply gentle pressure with a piece of gauze, a bandage or cotton wool to the area where the needle was inserted. This helps reduce swelling, bruising and stops any bleeding. In most cases, you can remove this pressure after just a couple of minutes, though you may want to keep a bandage on for a few hours - this is down to personal choice in most cases.
If you are a member of the Helicopteros Sanitarios family and are using our auxiliary nursing service, chat to us about any potential blood tests you think you might need at your next check up.