CASE STUDY 2-2: BLOOD DRAW FAILS DELTA CHECK It was a busy day in the hospital laboratory since two phlebotomists were out for medical reasons. An order came from the fourth floor for a timed draw. Joe, a phlebotomist from a temporary agency, was still there, even though he was supposed to have gotten off 2 hours earlier. No one was there to collect the specimen except Joe. Knowing how important it was, he decided to go ahead and collect it. When he arrived in the room, the patient was seated in a chair between the beds. Joe asked the patient his name and in which bed he belonged. When the seated patient answered with the right last name and pointed to the correct bed, Joe proceeded to collect the specimen from him while he sat in the chair. Joe labeled the specimen tubes at the nursing station while noting the draw on the desk clipboard. When a second specimen was drawn from the patient later that morning, it failed the delta check. The second specimen was recollected, and the results showed the specimen that Joe had drawn to be in error. Questions 1. What is a delta check? 2. What do you see that could have caused this discrepancy? 3. What should Joe have done differently? 4. What were Joe's obligations to the laboratory after his regular shift? 5. Who is ultimately responsible for Joe's actions while he is at work?