If you are helping us with COVID-19 testing or providing a blood spot sample for other reasons here are som tips to help us help you
Blood Spot Collection Instructions
Preparation
- Wash hands with warm water and gently massage finger
from palm to tip.
- Choose fingertip (middle or ring finger of non-dominant
hand is best) and wipe with alcohol wipe.
Sample Collection
- Twist and remove lancet cap (A).
- Hold lancet firmly against side of fingertip and press down
until you hear a click (B).
- Wipe away first show of blood with a tissue.
- Use gentle intermittent pressure to the surrounding area
to produce a hanging drop – allowing the drop to form fully
(C) is important to produce a high quality sample.
- Allow drop to fall onto circle on card or gently touch blood
drop to the card – avoid pressing fingertip against
card.
- Only apply a single drop to each circle on card. A quality
spot will fill or nearly fill the circle and fully soak through
to the other side of card (D). If a spot is poor quality you can
move on to the next circle and try again.
- See tips below to increase blood flow if having difficulty
generating a hanging drop.
Packaging up
- Leave card open at room temperature to dry 3-4 hrs (overnight if convenient
Tuck flap of card in and pack into the provided
ziploc bag containing desiccant.
- The sample is now ready to be returned in post with
your signed consent form and questionnaire.
Post in any Royal Mail postbox
Tips to increase blood flow if having difficulty producing a hanging drop:
- Try warming hands by rubbing them together
- Stand up to improve blood flow
- Drink a glass of water to ensure you are hydrated
My blood just doesn’t want to drip !
Maybe a few garlic pearls to get that blood dripping
Another tip that I picked up in a tweet from Prof Tim Spector (Zoe Covid Symptom app in UK) is hold hand in hottest water you can stand for a minute.
Gave it a try and works a treat! 3 good hanging drops from one lancet 🙂
Common sense warning: not so hot you burn your hand!
Once it starts it can keep going also remember to dry you finger
I have a hot bath instead of my usual cool shower before doing the blood spot thing. I had enough blood drops to fill lots of cards. My trouble was stopping it. If I put my hand in hot water it’s only just enough to get the blood to flow reluctantly.