Final answer:
The best practice to encourage bleeding from a heel stick is to apply a heel warmer, which dilates blood vessels and promotes blood flow without causing tissue damage.
Step-by-step explanation:
To encourage bleeding from a heel stick, the best practice is to apply a heel warmer. Squeezing more vigorously can damage tissues and should be avoided. Elevating the foot has not been shown to significantly improve blood flow in a heel stick procedure, and using a bigger needle is not recommended as it can cause unnecessary pain and trauma to the patient. Applying a heel warmer will gently increase the local temperature, dilating the blood vessels and encouraging blood flow, making it easier to collect the necessary blood sample.