RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In Germany, taking blood samples is generally considered to be the task of a physician. Doctors can legally delegate the taking of blood samples to nurses only after having made sure that they are qualified for this task. In daily routine at many hospitals blood samples are almost always taken by doctors and nearly exclusively by qualified assistants in the medical practices of resident doctors. METHODS: Answers to standardized questionnaires by 538 nurses were analysed for the way in which five German hospitals of a corporate group of hospitals dealt with this task, and what circumstances and reasons played a role. RESULTS: It was found that in the East German states blood samples were significantly more often taken by nurses than in the rest of the Federal Republic. 476 of all nurses questioned (89.14% of total) considered themselves capable of taking blood samples. However taking these samples has remained part of doctors' daily routine. CONCLUSION: In times of necessary cost cutting and a growing lack of physicians it would be reasonable to delegate this task to nurses who have been specifically trained for it.
