1. P4 M4 D4 Investigating the Blood
Unit 21: Biomedical Techniques Assessed by Teresa Greer
Start date: 16th March Hand in date: March 30th
Purpose
Students will be examining the biomedical techniques involved in medical sciences often
used in the hospital environment. This assignment will focus on how the blood is tested,
used and screened. Learners will examine
✓ Techniques for looking at normal and abnormal variables in the blood
✓ The use of blood products in medicine
✓ The reasons blood is screened before being given to patients.
Scenario
Last year you spent some time in the Haemotology department of North Middlesex hospi-
tal and learned a little of the way blood is tested, used and screened. In this assignment
you will be creating a full haemotology report that could be of benefit to the year one
BTEC students when they go to the hospital for their visit.
Task A This provides evidence for P3
For this task you need to choose three from the following list of techniques for looking at
the blood. For each technique you choose you must produce a short report discussing
what the method is, how it is undertaken, when it is used and what information it can pro-
vide for us. You should try to find out the normal boundaries for each of these methods
and what irregularities can be discovered using them.
✓ Cross matching
✓ Full blood count
✓ Blood culture
✓ White Blood Count
✓ Red Blood count
✓ Platelet count
✓ Haemoglobin Electrophoresis
✓ HIV antibody test
Hand in date March 23rd
BTEC National Diploma Applied Science Investigating the blood

2. Investigating the Blood
Task B This provides evidence for M3
blood products for transfusion are a vital part of medical treatment. Choose three from the
list below:
✓ Red Blood Cells
✓ White Blood Cells
✓ Fresh Frozen Plasma
✓ Platelets
For this criteria you need to explain their use in medical treatment. Why are they given to
patients? In what situations are they needed? What role do these products perform nor-
mally? How do they work when given in transfusions?
Add all of this detail for three of the blood products to a series of informative leaflet on
transplant products
Hand in date March 23rd
Task C This provides evidence for D3
You will be examining why blood and blood products are screened before transfusions.
Choose from one disorder from the list below
✓ HIV/AIDS
✓ CJD
✓ Hepatitis B
✓ Malaria
For each you need to discuss the method of screening the blood for this particular disease,
what would happen if we didn’t screen the blood properly, how the disease is transmitted
and how effective this transmission is.
For this task you should create a large and informative poster that informs people of how
blood transfusion products are tested and used.
hand in date 30th March
BTEC National Diploma Applied Science Investigating the Blood

3. Investigating the Blood
To achieve a pass grade To achieve a merit To achieve a distinction
the evidence must grade the evidence grade the evidence
show that the learner is must show that the must show that the
able to: learner is able to: learner is able to:
P3 list three diagnostic M3 Explain the clinical D3 explain why blood
techniques used in uses of three different products are screened
blood analysis and de- blood products used in and discuss the effec-
scribe what abnormality transfusions tiveness of the process
each technique could for one transmissible
identify disease
Assessed by: Teresa Greer
Internally verified by:
Hand in date: March 30th 2009
BTEC National Diploma Applied Science Investigating the Blood