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When it comes to needles and drawing blood, most patients agree that bigger is not better. But in the first study of its kind, Rice University bioengineers have found results from a single drop of blood are highly variable, and as many as six to nine drops must be combined to achieve consistent results.
The study examines the variation between blood drops drawn from a single finger prick. The results suggest that health care professionals must take care to avoid skewed results as they design new protocols and technologies that rely on finger prick blood.Image credit: Rice University
