Tessa Quinn
Ensuring patient safety and efficient blood product administration in hospitals is crucial. To achieve this, various methods are employed, including electronic tracking systems and manual processes. Electronic systems, such as BloodTrack® and SafeTrace Tx®, enhance safety by verifying patient identification and optimising workflows. Barcode technology is also utilised for accurate patient and product identification, reducing errors in the blood transfusion process. Additionally, hospitals are responsible for maintaining audit trails, tracking tissue products, and adhering to standard operating procedures to ensure the safe handling of blood products and patient care.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To enhance safety, improve transfusion processes, and reduce errors and waste |
| Tracking methods | Barcode technology, wireless technology, electronic tracking systems, manual tracking |
| Features | Bedside transfusion software, transfusion management software, online data-capture tools, safety scans, sample collection and arrival tracking, product dispense and administration tracking, inventory management, transfusion documentation |
| Benefits | Patient safety, error reduction, efficiency, supply chain waste reduction, compliance with standards, improved traceability |
| Standardization | Use of standardized labelling formats, such as ISBT 128, is recommended for blood products and tissues |
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What You'll Learn
Barcode technology for patient and product identification
Barcode technology is an effective method for patient and product identification in hospitals. It is a major tool for error reduction in blood transfusions, a complex medical procedure with multiple workflows. Transfusion of the incorrect blood type is an avoidable hazard that can result in catastrophic morbidity or mortality. Thus, it is essential to implement standardized procedures, including accurate patient identification, to ensure safe transfusion practices.
Barcode technology provides a solution by enabling accurate patient identification through wristband barcodes. These wristbands contain the patient's identification details in a 2D barcode, printed from their electronic health record. During blood transfusions, clinical staff can scan the patient's wristband and the corresponding blood product to ensure correct patient and product identification at the bedside. This process simplifies the clinical transfusion process and improves overall practice.
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) successfully implemented a barcode system for patient and product identification, addressing specific areas of risk. Their system replaced the existing manual blood product process with a point-of-care automated barcode scanning process. This change improved efficiency and reduced errors in blood transfusions.
Additionally, barcode technology can capture and track activities at each step of the blood transfusion process. This includes sample collection, arrival in the blood bank, product dispense, and administration. By scanning the patient's wristband at each stage, the system automatically compares the patient ID with the scanned requisition, sample, and product barcodes. If there are any discrepancies, the system presents an error message, allowing for immediate correction.
The implementation of barcode technology in hospitals has shown promising results. Studies indicate a significant improvement in error capture, with a higher likelihood of identifying misidentification errors compared to manual processes. Barcode technology not only enhances patient safety but also streamlines the blood transfusion process, making it more efficient and reliable.
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Electronic blood tracking systems
One example of an electronic blood tracking system is BloodTrack®, which includes BloodTrack Tx® bedside transfusion software. This software electronically verifies patient identification, guiding clinical staff through hospital transfusion SOPs for Hemovigilance compliance. It also provides a safety scan for second checking, requiring positive patient identification before transfusion sample collection and administration. BloodTrack Tx® can be used to generate barcoded pick-up slips for blood products, ensuring accurate tracking and reducing errors.
Another example is SafeTrace Tx®, a transfusion management software that enhances and automates critical patient safety demands. It helps optimise workflows, maintain traceability, and reduce supply chain waste.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are also essential for blood product tracking. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) implemented an EHR system with wireless bar code technology to improve the blood product administration process. This system captures and tracks activity at each step, including sample collection, arrival in the blood bank, product dispense, and administration. The scanned patient wristband ID barcode is automatically compared to the scanned barcode on the requisition, sample, and/or product, providing confirmation or error messages to ensure accuracy.
To comply with regulations, hospitals must maintain an audit trail from tissue receipt to patient or discard. Electronic tracking systems, such as those used by blood transfusion departments, should also be capable of tracking tissue products. This involves unique identification through donation or batch numbers and product codes, ensuring quick identification of specific units if any issues arise.
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BloodTrack software solutions
BloodTrack® is a suite of modular software solutions that help hospitals optimize their blood supply chain and provide safe, secure, and traceable blood storage and transfusion. The software ensures that each link in the blood supply chain is optimized, providing a centralized view of real-time blood product inventory. This allows hospitals to monitor and track blood products, supporting patient safety and ensuring compliance.
BloodTrack's just-in-time blood management solution combines BloodTrack OnDemand® software with the HaemoBank® blood storage device. This creates a 24/7 virtual, automated transfusion service, helping to streamline the transfusion process and reduce waste. BloodTrack OnDemand® has been shown to significantly reduce staff workload, blood inventory, and delivery time, while increasing patient safety and compliance.
BloodTrack Tx® is a bedside transfusion administration software that electronically verifies the patient's identification from pre-transfusion sampling through transfusion administration. It guides clinical staff through hospital transfusion SOPs for Hemovigilance compliance, ensuring that the right blood is transfused to the right patient.
The Knowledge Center Portal provides convenient access to transfusion management software reference materials, training tools, and educational information to enhance software use. This portal aids users in understanding transfusion management solutions and improving the transfusion process.
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Wireless specimen and product tracking
One example of wireless specimen and product tracking is the use of bar code technology. Bar codes can be scanned at each step of the process, from sample collection to administration, ensuring accurate patient and product identification. For instance, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UTHC) implemented a point-of-care automated patient and blood product bar code scanning process, reducing errors in the blood transfusion process.
RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology is another wireless solution for tracking specimens and products. RFID Tags are assigned to each specimen, containing key details such as patient information, origin, intended destination, and suspected disease. These tags can be scanned by RFID Readers, providing real-time synchronization of specimen information with server databases. This enables users to track the location of specimens in transit and monitor their movement through checkpoints.
Additionally, wireless solutions can also be applied to track commercial products, equipment, and assets within hospitals. For instance, Silicon Labs offers wireless technology options such as Sub-GHz, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Amazon Sidewalk for recording temperatures, tracking patients and employees, and locating critical assets.
Overall, wireless specimen and product tracking technologies offer increased accuracy, efficiency, and security in the handling and administration of blood products and other medical specimens, ultimately enhancing patient safety and improving hospital workflows.
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Blood transfusion safety
Blood transfusions are one of the most common clinical procedures in healthcare today, and they are often required for a wide range of health conditions, such as anaemia, pregnancy and childbirth complications, severe trauma, and surgical procedures. They are also regularly used for patients with sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, and haemophilia.
To ensure blood transfusion safety, it is essential to have a consistent supply of safe blood, which is dependent on regular donations and effective healthcare infrastructure. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes efforts to improve access to safe transfusions and blood products globally. This includes improving blood donor recruitment, with a focus on voluntary unpaid donors, who have the lowest rates of transfusion-associated infections. Donor screening questions are also crucial, as they help identify potential risks and defer donors when necessary, such as in cases of anaemia or HIV.
Additionally, laboratory testing of blood donations is vital to ensure safety. This includes testing for blood type, infectious diseases, and additional proteins or antibodies that may cause adverse reactions in recipients. Proper training of staff and diligent blood transfusion organisations are also key components of a safe blood transfusion system.
To further enhance blood transfusion safety, some hospitals have implemented innovative systems, such as BloodTrack®, which combines software with blood storage devices to create a virtual, automated transfusion service. This system electronically verifies patient identification and guides clinical staff through hospital transfusion standard operating procedures for haemovigilance compliance. Other hospitals have adopted barcode technology for patient and product identification, reducing errors in the blood transfusion process.
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Frequently asked questions
BloodTrack® is a blood management software that helps provide safe and fully compliant Point-of-care Blood Management and verifies that the right blood is given to the right patient.
BloodTrack Tx® software is a bedside transfusion administration software that electronically verifies the patient’s identification, from pre-transfusion sampling through transfusion administration, to help provide patient transfusion safety.
Barcode technology is used for patient and product identification, which helps in error reduction. Wireless technology enables the use of barcode equipment at the patient's bedside, maximizing process efficiency.
Hospitals are required to complete the audit trail from tissue receipt to patient or discard. The tracking method must be documented in Standard Operating Procedures. Tissue products are labelled using the ISBT 128 labelling standard barcode format.
