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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to find it weird that there is another patient in the room during my blood test?

55 replies

RevoltingPeasant · 18/01/2013 13:58

I am not having a massive freak out about this, just found it odd.

I went for blood test with the phlebotomist at my GP's this morning, and when she called me into the room there was another phleb't with another patient sat on a chair. They evidently knew one another as the patient was telling her about her holiday in Tenerife.

I sorted of waited a minute as I thought she might be going to leave but she didn't and I got told to sit down. I am not great with needles and I normally warn HCPs of this but I felt a bit stupid in front of this other woman so I didn't say anything. I turned my face away as I can't really watch and the phlebotomist took blood without saying anything - bit of a shock to have no warning! - and as she did so the other patient was going 'Ooooooh' in this horrified/ sympathetic tone.

I'm sure she was being kind - the patient - but it struck me as kind of inappropriate. I actually felt quite faint and having people making remarks doesn't really help.

On the one hand I guess this is efficient - seeing 2 x patients at the same time, shorter wait. On the other, surely this might be embarrassing for some people? My sister actually faints when she has blood taken and I imagine if I had some condition I might want to mention (e.g. HIV+) it might be quite off-putting.

AIBprecious or what?

OP posts:
LoopsInHoops · 18/01/2013 14:00

Really odd. Did you ask why?

discorabbit · 18/01/2013 14:01

ours do this, doesn't really bother me in the slightest. better than waiting for ages

tjah04 · 18/01/2013 14:02

Our department take two in at a time also in the same manner. It cuts waiting times in half and I have never found this odd.

But then I do not mind blood being taken and have never thought how this would affect someone who did.

Original poster
RevoltingPeasant · 18/01/2013 14:02

No I didn't ask why but it was obviously their normal set-up; it was a small room with 2 chairs with arm-rests on for taking blood so she was obviously meant to be there. Just found it a little off-putting!

OP posts:
MarcelineTheVampireQueen · 18/01/2013 14:03

I get bloods once a month done and there could be up to 5 in a room. It's a busy hospital, doing one at a time would take too long.

BeckAndCall · 18/01/2013 14:03

Our normal set up is also two at a time....

Original poster
RevoltingPeasant · 18/01/2013 14:04

tjah see, at our local hospital they take in multiple patients at a time, but they have screens between you. Obv you can still hear but you feel less silly saying something like 'I feel faint, would you mind doing X'.

It made me think how my DSis would feel, as she often properly keels over!

OP posts:
LoopsInHoops · 18/01/2013 14:05

Oh, I've never heard of such a thing.

DragonMamma · 18/01/2013 14:05

YABU

This is the norm around here, especially for antenatal checks at the hospital. Makes sense to me, they can see twice the amount of people at the same time.

I'm sure for the needle phobic they'd be happy to do it alone.

curiousuze · 18/01/2013 14:05

This is the norm at my GP - two or three patients at a time. I've never really thought about it; blood tests aren't very intimate.

ReindeerBollocks · 18/01/2013 14:05

Like Marceline, I have bloods done at the local hosp and they tend to have a stream of other people in the room having bloods done too. It's all very busy with the others coming and going but actually I find the distraction much easier to cope with than being in a room by myself.

With it being a phlebotomists room I wouldn't find it as unusual as if it was in a single nurses room.

HecateWhoopass · 18/01/2013 14:06

So it was two people taking blood not one person taking blood from two patients? One person with you and one with the other patient? So a double room, sort of, rather than two patients being seen at once?

The hospital where I have blood done has got a room with about 8 bays, separated by curtains.

I can't say you are being unreasonable, because it's your feelings! Grin it's really difficult to say that someone's feelings are unreasonable! Grin but I think that in terms of it being a problem - probably not a big one. I am sure that if you'd asked for privacy or said you need to talk to them in private, they'd have waited until the other person had gone to do you.

fallon8 · 18/01/2013 14:06

Did the other patient object to you being in the room at the same time as her?

Cherriesarelovely · 18/01/2013 14:07

I have experienced this too. It has never bothered me but I guess if I didn't like needles or felt sensitive about it then I would.

Eskino · 18/01/2013 14:09

My hospital does this. You have to take a ticket like at the butchers counter and they call your number out. There are three chairs and they are very chatty. Puts me at ease actually.

EuroShagmore · 18/01/2013 14:09

I've never known it for a blood test, but for blood donation, they often have about 20 of you end to end in a big hall, with no screens or anything. It didn't bother me then, so I don't think it would for a blood test.

Original poster
RevoltingPeasant · 18/01/2013 14:09

fallon no she was finished and just having a goss with the other phlebotomist (she had a cotton ball and bandage on her arm). I think it was mostly just her comment, for some reason it made me feel a lot worse!

Hecate I did think about asking for privacy but the other woman was obviously in middle of a convo and I felt like I was interrupting. The whole thing makes me close to fainting so I just took the line of least resistance!

OP posts:
Original poster
RevoltingPeasant · 18/01/2013 14:10

#eskino maybe it was that the phlebotomist didn't talk to me and did the sample without warning. Hmm.

Interesting, obviously IAB a nutter U Grin

OP posts:
PartTimeModel · 18/01/2013 14:11

Last time I had a blood test was in local hospital - there were about 6 people having tests at the same time in the room! They did have curtains around each tiny area but they were just a token really - not actually giving any privacy.

It's a busy hospital - I didn't think anything of it. The nurse said she saw about 80-90 people a day.

atthewelles · 18/01/2013 14:13

They do this in my local hospital - 3-4 people in the room at the same time. They also leave the door open so if you are at the first table the people in the waiting room can also see you. I remember someone asking for the door to be closed once but there was some reason why it couldn't be - I can't remember what.

ivykaty44 · 18/01/2013 14:13

Tis the same where I go at hospital - a curtain is sometimes - but not always - pulled across and two patients at a time. You are angled in chairs away from each other so you can just hear the other patient and not really see them unless you get up to leave or are going in.

I never look as I want to be in and out as quick as possible.

Never bothered me as there is really nothing to see.

LiegeAndLief · 18/01/2013 14:13

Our hospital does this, but the chairs are set up sort of back to back so you're not staring at the other patient having their blood taken. Was a very chatty relaxed atmosphere, I quite liked it! Also had to wait long enough anyway so I'm very glad the waiting times weren't doubled.

Needles etc don't bother me though, I can see why it would have made you feel more anxious.

wigglesrock · 18/01/2013 14:14

We do 2/3 at a time our surgery. The only exception is when a child comes in. I took my 5 year old in for blood tests and the nurses asked me if I thought she'd prefer to be on her own. We just went ahead with the other two people there. I think there were portable curtains but not drawn. I've always had blood taken like this so didn't even think twice about it.

fallon8 · 18/01/2013 14:16

Presumably you didn't have to take your clothes off or similar,what is the problem?
I have had a lot of treatment for breast cancer,,the only time I did object,I had blood taken in a busy main corridor,and I was worried about getting an infection...
I think there are just not the facilities for every patient to be treated individually,unless you pay

wonkylegs · 18/01/2013 14:16

I get regular blood tests at the hospital and we have 2 or 3 of us in the room at once. If it's an injection you get taken to a separate room or if there is a problem but for a simple blood draw we're all in together. I've never given it a thought but it's been the same for the 14yrs I've been going.

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