Blood Testing Kit

Jellybaby1

Are blood testing kits available over the counter or do you need a prescription?

sullivlo

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Are blood testing kits available over the counter or do you need a prescription?

Depends on what you want to test. Some finger prick ones are OTC but they don't measure much. Lots of blood (~30 ml) needed for standard blood testing with different preservatives. So it's unlikely you can do that yourself.

Jellybaby1

Thanks for your reply. GP just said 'you need to get your blood down'. No idea what that means, he rarely gives much detail. Sometimes I think he assumes I understand it all but I don't. I will just have to fork out more €€ to find out I guess.

_Tombstone_

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. GP just said 'you need to get your blood down'. No idea what that means, he rarely gives much detail. Sometimes I think he assumes I understand it all but I don't. I will just have to fork out more €€ to find out I guess.

Change GP.

livedadream

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. GP just said 'you need to get your blood down'. No idea what that means, he rarely gives much detail. Sometimes I think he assumes I understand it all but I don't. I will just have to fork out more €€ to find out I guess.

my GP says this too and he means to check in at reception and make an appointment with the nurse.

he had ordered tests and not told me or ive forgotten to ask, but the nurse will always tell you.

(im better now at asking him to be fair)

Jellybaby1

He usually wants me to have the blood tests done in his surgery, for a fee of course. I told him I prefer to go straight to the hospital. When he asked why, I said, because it's free!! Really, these doctors have degrees and still can't understand basic accounts! Why pay for something that can be got for nothing? Anyway a relative got his bloods done in the GP's surgery, and guess what, they had to be sent to the hospital anyway! Daft or what? Anyway, if I had a home test kit it would have solved my problems.

uck51js9zml2yt

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

He usually wants me to have the blood tests done in his surgery, for a fee of course. I told him I prefer to go straight to the hospital. When he asked why, I said, because it's free!! Really, these doctors have degrees and still can't understand basic accounts! Why pay for something that can be got for nothing? Anyway a relative got his bloods done in the GP's surgery, and guess what, they had to be sent to the hospital anyway! Daft or what? Anyway, if I had a home test kit it would have solved my problems.

A home test kit doesn't have the ability to test to the same level as hospital equipment.
The fee generally covers the cost of the nurse doing the test and the courier costs to get the test to the hospital.

Given the time it takes out of my day to go to the hospital plus the cost of getting there, parking etc, the €25 for testing is cost efficient.

The only test I do on myself is to check my INR levels. The machine is calibrated with the hospital blood test results to ensure accuracy.

Jellybaby1

You have a cheaper rate! My test would have cost €30 and I'm within spittin' distance of several hospitals, well, I can get to them quite easily anyway! In fact I am nearer to a hospital than I am to my GP!

livedadream

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

He usually wants me to have the blood tests done in his surgery, for a fee of course. I told him I prefer to go straight to the hospital.

in that case can i say thanks for being the reason our healthcare system is in ****, you are WASTING THE TIME OF THE DOCTORS IN HOSPITAL

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

When he asked why, I said, because it's free!! Really, these doctors have degrees and still can't understand basic accounts! Why pay for something that can be got for nothing?

again because you are WASTING TIME

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Anyway a relative got his bloods done in the GP's surgery, and guess what, they had to be sent to the hospital anyway!

everyone knows that the bloods get set to the labs in the local hospital or further afield depending on what they are being checked for
to get checked most GP surgerys dont have Pathologists waiting around or the equipment.

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Daft or what? .

yes you are.

unless you are a qualifed phlebotomist then drawing your own blood sample is not only stupid is down right dangerous.

Jellybaby1

As my GP has to send the samples to the same hospital, I can't see how I am wasting anyone's time. The same lab does the same tests no matter whether I go to the hospital or the GP.

_Tombstone_

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

As my GP has to send the samples to the same hospital, I can't see how I am wasting anyone's time. The same lab does the same tests no matter whether I go to the hospital or the GP.

Outta curiosity, who do you go to in the Hospital to get it done?

Wesser

It is possible to get bloods done in a hospital but you must have a request form signed by a doctor with a list of bloods on it. You can't just rock up and say I want my bloods done. Where would the results go.

The department that does bloods is called the phlebotomy dept. in s hospital
It exists to do bloods for hospital patients, ie patients attending a hospital clinic, not in patients , at the request of some consultant. There will also do certain go bloods that need to go on ice. They will kick up a fuss if it is just for regular GP bloods as GP s are meant to provide their own phlebotomy services mostly.

Home resting kits are available in pharmacies for specific conditions but will cost you 25 to 30 euro. Some are bedside kits, ie result in your hand, some you have to Put a package in the post at your own cost.

Most people believe that their bloods reveal all, that if the bloods are ok, that they are ok. This is not true. Bloods only check for specific conditions and need someone with training to interpret them.

Riven_Sky

livedadream wrote: »

in that case can i say thanks for being the reason our healthcare system is in ****, you are WASTING THE TIME OF THE DOCTORS IN HOSPITAL.

It is very common for GP patients to get their blood taken in local hospitals. Most hospitals offer a phlebotomy service for patients of GPs in their catchment area. A fully staffed service, with clinic or appointment times. No one is wasting anyone's time. This is because not all GP's offer phlebotomy in their own practices and even those that do probably don't have the capacity to manage all the blood testing required for their individual patients. For individual GPs it may not be cost effective if you take into account nurse/courier costs, so having a centralised hospital based service probably saves on cost and would actually be beneficial part of our healthcare system.

_Tombstone_ wrote: »

Outta curiosity, who do you go to in the Hospital to get it done?

There's usually two phlebotomy services offered in a general hospital. GP and outpatient. Sometimes they're the one service, often they're two or have two different systems to access them. (Like GP patients attend by appointment and outpatients via a drop-in clinic which is the case in St. James's and Vincent's).