Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38562674›Full record

ArticlePractical laboratory medicine2024

To disinfect or not to disinfect that is the question - Procedure when drawing blood for alcohol measurements in Denmark.

Rebekka Lynge, Christina I Kirkvaag, Ida H Eilenberger, Anne M D Hansen, Julie Smith

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Practical laboratory medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 41% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Rebekka LyngeBiomedical Laboratory Science, Department of Technology, Faculty of Health, University College Copenhagen, Denmark.
Christina I KirkvaagBiomedical Laboratory Science, Department of Technology, Faculty of Health, University College Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ida H EilenbergerBiomedical Laboratory Science, Department of Technology, Faculty of Health, University College Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anne M D HansenDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Julie SmithBiomedical Laboratory Science, Department of Technology, Faculty of Health, University College Copenhagen, Denmark.
Frederiksberg Hospital · DKUniversity College Copenhagen · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Swabbing with ethanol to disinfect the skin before venipuncture does not bias measurements of blood ethanol, as previously suspected. International evidence-based theory may not always be successfully integrated into local practices, where old customs may remain. So how are the local protocols for swabbing in practice - if they even do swab? Not disinfecting may risk patient safety. We aim to put a focus on the venipuncture disinfection procedure in practice when measuring blood alcohol for clinical matters and if their procedure refers to a guideline. Specialized biomedical laboratory scientists (BLS) are typically responsible for the phlebotomy procedure in Denmark, thus questionnaires were sent to the relevant BLS in 2020 to map disinfection procedures in all Danish hospitals and affiliated blood draw clinics (n = 58). The response rate was 93% (54/58). We observed an inter-laboratory dissimilarity in swabbing procedures, when measuring blood alcohol: A quarter did not use any disinfectant (26%), while the remaining disinfected with ethanol 55%, isopropanol 13%, and 6% with ethanol/chlorhexidine. Of the five Danish regions, three had a regional guideline (3/5), otherwise the swabbing protocol was locally based. There was a regional difference in disinfecting or not (Chi

Indexed as

Blood alcoholDisinfectionEducationEthanolGuidelineHealthcareInfection preventionLaboratory practicePatient safetyPhlebotomyQualitySwabbingVenipuncture

Identifiers

PMID38562674
PMCPMC10982554
OpenAlexW4392391897

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.