Transfusion Unit Tag Printers

[LynK]

Hi!

My lab uses an old-fashioned dot-matrix impact printer in order to print the tag in triplicate. I want to get away from this archaic printer, and implement a laser printer.

Can I get feedback from y'all on what kind of printer you are using to print unit tags? If you use a laser printer, how do you get around the logistics of having the RN document vital signs on the chart copy AND the lab copy? The only good thing about the impact printer is having the carbon copy for documentation of vitals.

Hope someone out there can help me get away from the impact printer!!!!!!!!

[Auntie-D]

We use a Zebra 105SL and it is really reliable and easy to use.

You don't say where you are but in the UK we are not allowed to use adhesive labels unless the glue has been validated to have no effect on the integrity of the bag or the red cells. How you would do this I have no idea... We use the Zebra tags with cable ties to attach.

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[LynK]

Hi Auntie D,

I am in Hawaii, but am referring to the unit tag attached to the blood product, not the ISBT stickers adhered to the unit. We do not print our own ISBT labels here.

Thanks for your response, though!

[jill]

We use an old fashioned printer also which generated 4 stickers per blood component.

[Auntie-D]

Hi Auntie D,

I am in Hawaii, but am referring to the unit tag attached to the blood product, not the ISBT stickers adhered to the unit. We do not print our own ISBT labels here.

Thanks for your response, though!

That's what i'm talking about too The labels are printed with a zebra printer and are adhesive for sticking in notes/traceablility paperwork, but have a hole for fixing to the unit with a cable tie.

[carolyn swickard]

We use Meditech and have our Crossmatch tags and Assignment tags print out on a laser printer. These tags (on a whole sheet of paper) are folded in thirds and attached to the bag with the taggers used on clothing (you can get the guns and tags from Staples). The Meditech system then prints out an Issue/Transfuse tag on the same printer (whole sheet of paper). We have custom modified all of the tags in Meditech's NPR module under NPR Customization (requires your programmers). Our Issue/Transfuse card has been modified to have all the unit data (including pt antibodies and unit antigen testing) and has an area for the RNs to sign (2 of them) and record vitals. We then ask for the floors to copy all Issue/Transfuse tags after they are completed and return the copy to the lab for our blood utilization review (currently averaging around 75% returns - we have small reminder tags that can be added to the issued units and the floor managers get on them when reminded that the percentage is that low). This has replaced the original "standard" tag for Meditech that required a dot-matrix printer for the multiple copies. The only thing we have really lost from the original system is that Meditech has a transfusion reaction "procedure" on the back of the "standard" tag that we no longer have on every issued unit, but phone calls and lots of instructions on our Transfusion Reaction Workup request form help with that problem. Besides, their procedure didn't exactly match ours and there was no way to change the standard tag at all.

If you don't have Meditech - check and see whether your system has some kind of customizable reports program (some have Crystal reports) and see if you can build your own tags - be prepared for some work. Blood Bank data can be funny to work with and draw out of your system. If you do have Meditech, you will need an NPR specialist for help and don't mess with the original data stream that has the pt's name and ID numbers in it - that is one solid piece and even if it won't print out completely, leave it alone and get your specialist to finish the cutoff data in another space. (That will only make sense to Meditech users.) McKesson had a nice customizable tag program that was going to print out on a laser printer too. Just had the thing built with RN input, when we were told we weren't going to McKesson and then we had to start over with Meditech.

Good luck.

[whbb]

cswickard,

Are you still coping completed Issue/Transfuse cards with BCTA? We no longer have the nurses complete the cards if given through BCTA.

(This is for Meditech users)

[carolyn swickard]

cswickard,

Are you still coping completed Issue/Transfuse cards with BCTA? We no longer have the nurses complete the cards if given through BCTA.

(This is for Meditech users)[/quote

We haven't switched to BCTA yet - don't really know what we will do then. But if I can just look the transfusion data up in the computer, I doubt we will continue with copies - wastes too much paper and the return percentages stay too low.

[Gnapplec]

We recently started using heavy card stock paper in a regular ol' laser printer. We require the nurses document their vitals on the one tag and are then required to fax us a copy to the lab for the patient's file. We attach the tags with a garment gun and fold the paper in half. It seems to be working so far.

[bbonnema]

We use a Zebra printer for the unit sticky tag with patient information and upon issue we laser print one copy of a Transfusion Record for for transfusion documentation and vitals.

[MAGNUM]

cswickard,

Are you still coping completed Issue/Transfuse cards with BCTA? We no longer have the nurses complete the cards if given through BCTA.

(This is for Meditech users)

We are using BCTA, and have been for about 1 year. I still have the nurses return the cards, because I verify that there are 2 signatures on the cards. We opted not to use the second cosigner in the BCTA module since anyone with a computer signature could be pulled from the drop box, this includes any EVS personnel. We still do use a 2 part carbon on a Lexmark 2480 dot matrix printer. The top copy goes on the chart and the back copy is returned to me. I have approximately 95 - 98% compliance.