Abstract
We read with interest the audit undertaken by Berg et al. 1 and the suggestion that phlebotomists should be deployed within Emergency Departments. We performed a study 2 in a London teaching hospital comparing haemolysis rates of acute admission specimens versus those from outpatient phlebotomy, with similar results, alongside a cost analysis. The estimated cost of repeating haemolysed specimens, based on an average of 60 admissions per day, was £4355 per month, plus additional time and equipment costs. This cost-saving would fund at least one dedicated Emergency Department phlebotomist.
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