Bar codes on blood bands

[bloodbankpro]

Hi Everyone, I'm new to Blood Bank Talk, but I am working on a project for my lab to incorporate bar codes into our transfusion process. I'm just getting started and have no idea where to start. Can anyone recommend a band and what computer system your using? What sort of benefits did you experience by switching? And negatives that you've experienced from switching to a bar code band? Thank you in advnace

[Malcolm Needs ☆]

I can't help you at all, I'm afraid, as this is not my area of expertise, but I would like to welcome you to BloodBankTalk. It's a wonderful site.

:D:D:D:D

[adiescast]

Hi Bloodbankpro, welcome to BBT. I am guessing from your question that you do not have barcoded bands already deployed by your admissions department that are used for medication administration. If that is the case, you will probably want to have a multi disciplinary team looking at the barcoded bands. Ours (and I apologize that I do not know the brand) are used for medication administration, phlebotomy, and POC testing. We do not have a transfusion piece yet. I expect that we will use the same barcoded band that everyone else is using when we get the software. Some issues that had to be ironed out included what information would be encoded in the barcode versus eye readable. Every department has a different opinion. We (Lab) wanted the medical record number in the barcode, nursing wanted the bill account number. If I recall correctly, we ended up with a compromise band that has two barcodes on it. The bands are printed initially by the business office on admission.

I hope this helps!

[Deny Morlino]

Welcome Bloodbankpro! We have the same situation as Adiescast. No time line for a blood bank piece here though.

[MaggieAllen]

Hello BloodBankPro,

I work for a software company that specializes in barcode and RFID technology. We specialize in speciment, patient, blood, cellular therapy and Rx identification. I would be happy to discuss your needs with you and determine if we are a fit. I can be reached at 810-629-3930. My company is Niceware International and you can visit our healthcare page at

http://healthcare.nicewareintl.com.

Thank you,

Maggie All

[Richard Kriozere]

You may wish to look at bar coded ID soluions from Digi-Trax (www.digi-trax.com). Under software click HemaTrax-ID for blood transfusion ID band or under hardware click ink jet color for new SafeAlert color bar code ID bands.

Richard

[bbbirder]

I just put this on another post related to BB ID bands... Contact Typenex about their "flexiBLOOD" system. A band and form with stickers, including bar-coded Typenex numbers. It is not on their web page, so you will need to contact the company.

Seems like a good system to me, especially if you are going to have the nursing staff scanning units, etc. at the bedside.

Linda Frederick

[macarton]

We had our forms vendor make up a tube label fwith several barcode for us. I measured the labeling area on our BD tubes and we have the first one that tears off to insert into a wide red PDC braclet and 3 more for our tubes. It cost us pennies compared to the commerical, which at the time wasn't available.

[Trek Tech]

We use Typenex barcoded bands and love them. No more clerical errors for a tech entering the letters and numbers wrong into the system. We had a BPD when we first opened. The band was something like AAF779 but was entered AFA779. The blood made it to the floor and the nurse caught it! Yes, I know...there are some very good ones out there. ..I investigated and the found the typenex armbands with barcodes and that was my solution for the FDA.

[tbostock]

We are trialing a new Typenex BBID band with barcoding that allows demographic labels instead of handwriting. See attached.

BBID Typenex band info sheet.pdf

[LaraT23]

I am thinking about trying the same ones as tbostock. I have some samples, they are just wider than ours we use now ( pdc) but we may go with that. We plan to go to the electronic transfusion piece in Sept or Oct of this year, after our upgrade to meditech 6.0 CS.:cool:

Edited May 4, 2010 by LaraT23
typo

[tbostock]

I am thinking about trying the same ones as tbostock. I have some samples, they are just wider than ours we use now ( pdc) but we may go with that. We plan to go to the electronic transfusion piece in Sept or Oct of this year, after our upgrade to meditech 6.0 CS.:cool:

Yes, we have had some patient complaints that the band is too wide and uncomfortable. Also in the elderly patient with fragile skin, the edges are actually sharp and have penetrated their skin. So...so far, the nurses like using it, but the patients...not so much.