Name: Hana Adiva Praditri

NIM: 22295
Group: 4 INT
Topic: Preparation of Blood Film to Diagnose Malaria

No. Steps Illustrations

1. Self-introduction, explain the
procedures that will be taken, and
ask for informed consent to the
patient.

2. Prepare the materials:

- Clean glass slide
- Sterile lancet
- Alcohol swab
- Cotton wool
- Grease pencil
3. Put on medical gloves

4. Label the glass slide with patient’s ID

number or initials using grease
pencil.

5. Choose the appropriate spot for

finger prick (on the 3rd or 4th finger of
the non-dominant hand, and on the
side of finger that is less sensitive
than the tip). In babies under 6
months of age, prick on the heel or
big toe.

6. Clean the prick site using alcohol

swab or cotton wool dipped in
alcohol. Then wait until the alcohol
dries, prior to the prick.
7. With a sterile lancet, prick the ball of
the finger.

8. By applying gentle pressure to the

finger, express the first drop of blood
and wipe it away with dry cotton
wool.

9. With the right hand, take the glass

slide and hold it by the edges. Then
with the left hand, press the finger to
produce a drop of blood.

10. Preparing thick film:

 Apply further pressure to express
more blood and collect two or three
larger. Using the corner of the
spreader, quickly join the larger
drops of blood and spread them.

11. Preparing thin film:

Apply gentle pressure to the finger
and collect a single small drop of
blood on the middle of the side. Then
using another glass slide as the
spreader, spread the blood with an
angle of 30-45 degrees.

12. Leave the thick and thin films to air-

dry.
13. Thin film:
Fixate the blood film with absolute
methanol for 30 seconds priod to
staining. Let dry at room
temperature. Place the slides on the
slide rack then pour and cover the
films with dilutes Giemsa stain. Leave
for 30 minutes.

Thick film:
No need to fixate the smear.
Immediately place the slides on the
slide rack then pour and cover the
films with diluted Giemsa stain and
leave for 30 minutes.

14. Wash off the stain with slow-running

water. Do not tip off the stain then
wash, because this will leave a
deposit of stain over the smear.

15. Drain off the water and place the

slides in a rack to dry (the slides with
the stained films facing downwards
to protect them from dust).
16. Examine the entire slide area with
100x objective lens and immersion
oil:
- Identify the plasmodium
species on thick or thin smear
- Count the number of
plasmodium in thick blood
smear