BBR

I validate my coolers with 1 unit (needs cold pack to validate for 24 hours) and 6 units at room temp and in a refrigerator (OR is very cold).  Transport coolers go through the same thing, but I also validate them for extreme temps (1 and 6 units) usually only good for 1-3 hour.  I generate a very cold environment by putting the cooler in the freezer.  The very hot environment I put the cooler in my car on a hot summer day.
This is done every 6 months.

I validate our coolers once a year with two expired PRBCs and an NIST thermometer for 6 hours.  The boxes we used for blood sent to our ED and OR are validated by our blood supplier.

This subject came up recently at our facility and it was decided by our Patient Safety Committee, of which I am a member, that the co-signer would need to be qualified to administer blood.  This means, RNs, Perfusionists and Anesthesiologists.  The thought process was that if the co-signer is not qualified to administer blood, then they would not be knowledgeable enough to know exactly what they were verifying.

They have probably read something about the idea that a low titer - 4 or less - that doesn't rise is RhoGAM, not a 'real' antibody. We had requests for titers  for 3 or 4 months from a newbie OB/GYN doc who wanted to follow any of his patients who had anti-D reported post-delivery or post-miscarriage.   (We always report 'patient received RhoGAM on DD/MM/YYYY' on these patients to give docs a hint as to why the patient might have an anti-D identified, but his comfort zone apparently didn't go there.) He stopped doing it abruptly - maybe he was realizing that a lot of his patients had detectable RhoGAM, far more than could actually be sensitized to the D antigen or maybe one of his experienced partners educated him. 
It might be worthwhile to have a pathologist feel them out about why they are doing it and to casually mention how much a patient is charged for a titer, suggesting a follow up antibody screen at 3-4 months if they really feel that they need to do something. If the patient is not pregnant, titers are not going to affect patient treatment/care.
 

You can build a new billing code for the reference lab charge and add it in BOP to the TYSC. RLABID or something like it. Be sure to build the corresponding credit code in case you add it in error and you need to credit.

I can email you mine...if you send me your email address.

I use the Genesis tube sealer.  Love it.

Yay, the Christmas lights are back!  Smash 'em while you can!!

Thanks to a very generous invitation from the organisers (in particular Phil Hoffman, aka Dr Pepper on this site, and Maddie Josephs, Chair) I will be attending and speaking at the 69th Annual Clinical Laboratory Science Convention - Central New England (ASCLS - CNE) taking place at the Rhode Island Convention Center between May 9th and May 11th 2017.  I will be talking on Wednesday 10th May 2017, giving a lecture entitled, "An In Depth Description of the Kell Blood Group System." and then, after a well-deserved break for the delegates, and for those that can stand it, a second lecture entitled, "King Henry Viii, McLeod Syndrome, Chronic Granulomatous Disease and Kx."
Sorry if this comes across as being "big headed", but I am really excited about coming back over to the USA.    

Terumo also makes a T-Seal... which might meet your need, it can be linked together (multiple devices with a single power source) to do a full line of segments in a single action which is quite handy if you're looking to do that too.

Genesis BPS also make a couple of different tube sealers. I currently have a benchtop and a portable model

I know that some of you are already in 2017, and some of you, like me, are still in 2016 (and, indeed, some of you celebrate New Year at a different time of year all together), but, may I wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Here is a copy of our old procedure.  We used to do our DATs in tube but switched to gel and just do IgG and complement now. 
 
BB S Direct Antiglobulin Test-Tube Method.doc

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all of my friends in the USA, and to those from the USA who are now living elsewhere in the world.

After that laundry list what's left to love?  I do like the user interface. . .

congratulations and enjoy the stress free life!!!

We are not actually reporting patient tests in a blood bank information system at this time (yes, we are still all on paper ) so this answer may change once we go live with Haemonetics (whenever that is). We currently have reports built into the LIS that allow us to report Blood Bank test results. If an error is discovered in one of our (manual) entries, the result is corrected. The system requires us to add a explanation for the change and a call box pops up. We will notify the appropriate caregiver and document,  via the call box, who we talked with and what we told them. The date and time of contact is captured by the system. We can also document incomplete calls - in other words, we couldn't make contact with the person we needed to talk to on the first attempt. Every attempt can be documented as an incomplete call, then when we do make contact, that call can be documented as completed.
The report that is in the patient EMR and that the physician sees has the correct result where the test result belongs. There is a notation that the result is a 'corrected result'. Below the test entry a comment then appears that says that this result has been corrected at date/time by tech and that it was initially reported as **** (whatever the incorrect result was) by date/time by tech. My understanding is that it is a regulatory requirement to show the corrected result, as well as what was originally reported (though it needs to be very clear which is which). You also have to show why the result was corrected and that the provider or other appropriate person was notified in a timely manner. The pop up boxes in our system take care of those requirements and don't let people forget to do it.
The only time we would ever actually delete an accession#/test results would be if a test was resulted out on a specimen that was from an entirely different patient. Big mistake there! But we would have to be careful about determining whether or not a nurse/doctor saw the erroneous result and make sure that any necessary notifications were well documented.
 
 

Although other people may not agree (some vehemently I suspect), I do not usually boast, however, in this case, I am going to make an exception. This is a note I received from Joyce Poole yesterday, of which I am inordinately proud (in fact, I nearly blubbed when I read it).
It runs as follows,
 
"Dear Malcolm,
I am so sorry that I could not join you and colleagues for your retirement "DO".  I would have loved to be there to help give you the send off you deserve.  You have contributed so much to the world of blood transfusion over your long and distinguished career.
You are a special person to me and I like to think I played a small part in sowing the seeds of your enthusiasm for blood transfusion during your formative years at IBGRL.  You went a long way afterwards and put a lot of time and energy into teaching others and encouraging them to do things PROPERLY.  So, so important.
In recent years there have been a lot of obstacles to us doing what we love to do best - the practice of blood group serology.  For me, I feel I left at the right time.  I hope you feel that too.
Wishing you a wonderful stress free and happy retirement.
Love,
Joyce"
"Sowed the seeds"?  Joyce not only sowed the seeds, but nurtured the seedlings and looked after the fully grown plant!  A quite wonderful mentor.

You made it!  Yea!  I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.   I recently retired & it is fantastic. No more unpaid 24/7 call. No more having to come home early at night cause I have to be at work at 0600 the next day.  Enjoy your new life!

Our quality plan says that a hospital occurrence report gets completed, then that is followed up on by the lab manager  with action depending on when the error was detected and whether or not it represented a patient safety issue. At that point I would be involved if it represented a safety issue or a somewhat frequent problem and would investigate why the error was made and counsel/retrain as needed. This is a general lab policy. My quality plan basically says that I follow the general lab policy for corrected results.

Just HOW ridiculous is that?
In the UK, even UKAS, which appears to be an accreditation service set up to serve its own ends, rather than that of the laboratory or the patient, allows Biomedical Scientists and Laboratory Aides to "transfer" their competencies from one laboratory to another, if the tests are the same.
This ruling from CLIA seems to me set up to justify THEIR existence, rather than help either the laboratory or the patients, but will end up creating more and more (unjustified) work for all concerned, for no benefit - and they wonder why they get a bad reputation for making such stupid rulings.

Thank you so much CarrieM for detailed explanation.