Drawing Blood for Home HIV Tests

Video Transcript

"So, now we're going to get ready to do the finger stick that actually is going to produce the sample we'll be collecting. This seems to be the most intimidating part of some home testing kits for people. It's not enough to be concerned about whether you may or may not have HIV, if that's your impetus for taking the test. But, something about taking a tiny needle and jabbing it into the side of your finger to draw blood really is off putting to people. So, I'm going to give you some advice on how to make it a little easier on yourself. Some of the same advice, you'll find in the instructions for the testing kit. And, again I recommend you read through the instructions of the test kit thoroughly before you attempt to collect a sample. The first thing you want to do when selecting, is to pick your off hand of course. You'll need your dominant hand to use the lancet and the equipment to collect the blood. And, the draw area we're going to be focusing on is on either your middle or ring finger to the sides of the pad of the finger. You could use your first finger, but it's generally the most calloused of all your fingers. And, callouses aren't places where blood flows. So, there's no point in poking a callous and trying to draw blood. Once you've selected your site, you should go wash and dry your hands thoroughly. Not only does this ensure that both the hands you'll be using are clean, the action of washing your hands in the warm water will stimulate the blood flow to your hands producing a better sample. Once you've decided where you want to stick, go ahead and get your sample card open and have that ready to drop the blood on. Open up the alcohol prep and wipe the area you're going to be using the lancet on. And, take a deep breath. Get the lancet ready to go and just pop yourself. It's really, really simple. It's not at all scary. You've probably had it done at your doctors office more times than you can remember."