[Wise Ole Sayings]

One I use for laugh on my most harried days:

"The little voices inside my head may not be real but they still have some pretty good ideas!":p

HA! I like that one!

[Wise Ole Sayings]

Two from my very sage grandparents:

Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you!

and, as a true Yorkshireman, I'd rather be dead than done!

As far as transfusion and learning goes - I always stand by, Always ask! Sometimes they say"yes"!

[Staff Reading SOPs]

I'd agree with the other posters RR1

Don't publish theesults but do publish the average result - then you can ask the poor performers why their results are so much lower than the others. Ask them how long they'll nedd to rectify thir scores or what can be done to assist them and then retest them. That way they've set their own terms (to some extent - don't accept ludicrous terms).

Just don't make your quiz too detailed as nobody likes to feel tricked - a quick whizz through your SOPs selecting a question from each - should take half an hour to rough the quiz out. You could then do more detailed quiz later on (once people know you're serious about this sort of thing) in the future.

Cheers

Andy

[Extent of ID of antibodies to Low Freq antigen]

At my prior workplace, our blood supplier had only the few commercially available antisera to low-frequency antigens so there was not much point in sending low freqs for ID since the only option was going to be XM compatible units regardless of the ID. Now, I have ARC as a supplier and they have much more access to unusual antisera. What do others do--send all low freqs out for ID, send selected samples (likely to need frequent transfusion or with other antibodies requiring that screened units be sent in), or just give XM compatible units? I want to do cost-effective but good medicine.

Hi Mabel

i find that students on courses insist on identifying everything - I often ask where the cut-off is between treating the sample as an academic exercise and actually doing stuff which will help the patient. Also better to have a patient having a transfusion reaction than perfect serology and a corpse. This is so much easier said than done though - by our very nature we want to explain why we are getting the reactions we are seeing.

I wonder how many antibodies to private antigens are missed each year because they are not present on screening cells and panel cells? My money is on, "quite a lot" and it doesn't seem to present many problems.

From my time in a Reference Lab I can do nothing but agree with Malcolm about what a pain they are to do - tube after tube of no agglutination!

Andy

[Just For Fun]

Does everyone have the same reagent colors? Perhaps we could go with a variation on those: Blue for A, Yellow for B, White for O, and Green (yellow plus blue) for AB. We would have to figure out a scheme for the Rh, but the black and red would work.

Beware reds on blues and greens for us colour blind bods! I simply can't read red on green.

Andy "spanner in the works" Miller

[Serological Testing Downtime form]

Hi Eoin

I've jigged things about a bit - space was tight so I've PDF-ed them - drop us an email if you want the proper documents (Microsoft Word)

I think that they're good forms so I've mostly just moved things around. (and made them friedly for we colour blind folk)

See what you think

Andy

BLOOD BANK WORKSHEET.pdf

CROSSMATCH WORKSHEET.pdf

[Serological Testing Downtime form]

Hi Sara

Can you attach the sheet so we have a look?

Andy

[Staff Development]

Hi Rashmi

It may be worth pointing out to them that they have sigened and returned their HPC Registraion renewal form and signed to say that they are keeping up-to-date. Ask them to prove it - the HPC could ask exactly the same question.

Or you could ask them what they actually signed when they returned the form - I bet half of us couldn't answer that!

I've found this wakes some of them up

Andy

[Staff Development]

I have to say there are probably quite a few Blood bank managers in the UK who do not attend meetings or participate in any form of networking or discussions, this is not a good example to set staff.

It is a sad indictment of our times, but very definitely true.

There are, of course time and financial constraints to take into account, but some never go to any meetings whatsoever.

Equally sadly, there are some who regularly turn up to meetings, but never seem to benefit in terms of putting new knowledge into practice (the "bums on seats" syndrome).

:(:(

[Complement Query - do you know your C3bBbP from your C3bBbPC3b?]

Hi All

I'm having problems with complement and need the advice of a proper haematologists (rather than a transfusion bod like myself.

Does anybody know HOW C3bBbP gets converted into C3bBbPC3b (the C5 convertase)? The magenta bit on the right of the attached diagram

I don't have a problem that it does happen but I can't seem to track down anywhere how it actually happens.

Any help would be very much appreciated because it is starting to drive me mead now

Andy

[Staff Development]

Hi Rashmi

Sounds like a familiar problem of the current education system - eveybody is spoon-fed and so loose the ability / desire to put their own effort into anything. I also find the younger members want instant results on anything.

I've found that a culture of "give and take" works best - the staff member gives a bit of time and the lab gives a bit of time. The hardest thing is to start people off on the system - they gat the "lab gives a bit of time" but don't quite get the "staff gives a bit of time" bit of it Then I find that favouring those who do work in their own time is a good motivator. That is not monitary favours but them getting more time off for study or being higher up the list to go for conferences and whatnot. Then when the non-triers moan you can say "Well Sally does work in her own time - what do you do?" argument comes out.

I agree though it is a really difficult problem with no easy remedies. But at least this time we CAN blame society

[Recommended minimum standards for hospital transfusion laboratories.]

Hi Malcolm

I spoke to one of the authors of the standard who said that it is definitely aimed at hospital transfusion rather than transfusion service labs. I can't help thinking that it will applied to both (and the transfusion service labs just don't fit with some of the contents)

Andy

[Calling any SBB's]

I agree with Cliff - the standards are a billiant place to start as they are the basis of the exams. I made some "How well do you know your standards" quizzes for our BCSH standards. They definitely sorted out the wheat from the chaff and are really easy to make.

1. Get a standard

2. Start reading and write down questions as you go

3. Avoid "yes or no" answers in favour of "why does" questions

4. Stick them all on one sheet

5. Give the sheet to the trainee and give them a set time to do it (no reference material)

It really shows the areas where the groups have trouble

Andy

[Just For Fun]

I had a new doctor who phoned me for some "See negative blood" so I asked "Is that big C or little c?" - he (obviously annoyed" retorted "Does it matter? Just send it now!". The half-argument continued until we got to the "Who am I spaeking to?" stage and then on to "I'll speak to your Consultant". This was then followed by my consultant forwarding the irate doctor back to me to apologise for the earlier exchange.

Don't you just love September when all the newbies start on the wards?!