Transcript of A guide to HIV dried blood spot testing.
Claudette: Hi, I'm Claudette. This video shows you how to collect dry blood spots for HIV testing.
This means you can do a simple blood collection at home and send your blood spots off to a laboratory to be tested for HIV.
First of all, prepare a clean workspace using a diluted solution of disinfectant or household bleach. Wipe down the area where you'll be doing the collection.
Lay out all the items in the kit on a tissue in the order in which you'll need to use them.
It's important that you have everything ready to collect your blood spots before you use the lancet. The alcohol swab for cleaning your finger. The lancet for piercing the skin. The cotton ball to wipe away the first drop of blood. The collection card on which the blood spots will be collected, and a bandaid, which you might want to apply to your finger once you finish collecting your blood spots.
Think about where you'll store the test card to dry overnight. The card needs to dry for at least four hours but is best left overnight.
Before you start, write the date and your five digit validation code on the test card. Your validation code should have been sent to you by email or by text message when you registered on the website. If you don't know or can't find your validation code, ring the nurses at the Sexual Health Infolink on 1800 451 624 and they'll be able to help you.
Before you begin, wash your hands in warm soapy water thoroughly and dry them thoroughly. Scan the setup workspace one more time to make sure you have everything you need.
Fold out your test card on the table wiith the spots facing up. You are going to drip one or two drops of blood into each circle.
Select the finger you want to use and squeeze it a couple of times. Wipe the tip of your finger with the alcohol swab and allow it to air dry. Holding the lancet in your dominant hand, twist off the protector position the end of the lancet on the cleaned fingertip making firm contact. Then flick the trigger.
A drop of blood will start to form. Wipe this first drop away with a cotton ball. Holding your finger a little above the first circle, let the newly formed blood drop fall onto the card.
Try and fill each circle. Keep your finger above the test card. Don't bring your finger in contact with the card as dabbing your finger onto it may contaminate the collection as well as stop the blood soaking through evenly, which makes it harder to process in the lab.
A bigger drop will fill the circle in one go. A smaller drop may not soak in all the way to the edges. You can top up a spot which didn't fill the circle initially with another drop of blood. You can also milk the finger to encourage more blood flow.
Once you have collected all the blood spots, wipe your finger with a clean tissue and apply a little pressure. You may also want to apply a bandaid.
Your spots are now collected and the drying process can begin.
Everything can be disposed of in the rubbish - place the lancet, swab and other bits onto the tissue and drop into the bin. If you don't use any items in the kit, still dispose of all kit contents.
Once the blood spot collection is performed, fold the test card up so the spots are standing and not touching the outer card. Transfer the test card to the safe spot you have identified for drying overnight, out of direct sunlight, out of drafts, and away from pets or children. As a card dries, it becomes darker and even darker when it is fully dried.
The test card needs to air dry slowly, so don't use a hairdryer as this will destroy the blood cells and make the blood spots unusable. After about 24 hours, get your dry test card, check that you have entered all the requested information and fold the test card so the spots are now inside and protected.
Check that you have the desicant in the foil packet. Put the test card into the foil packet and seal it tightly running your finger along the seal to make sure it is fully closed.
Put the foil packet into the reply paid envelope and seal it and now you're ready to post your dry blood spots off to the lab.
It's as simple as that.
Remember though, an accurate result comes from a good dry blood spot collection. So if anything is unclear, please watch this video again or ring the nurses at the Sexual Health Infolink.