Our donor center will be acquiring new software in the next few months and with its implementation will also implement ISBT 128 labelling. As we're preparing for this, we have some questions:

1) What are other donor centers doing to differentiate the various collection sites that were formerly designated by various 1 or 2 alpha characters? Will you use separate FINs, special numeric designations in the unit number flag field, designating certain sequences of numbers to the various sites, or something else/nothing.

2) Do you order commercially printed Donation ID labels, print them in advance on site, or print them on demand?

3) Do you get your collection bags pre-labelled or do all the labelling yourself?

I'm currently working in Saudi Arabia, but will be home (Atlanta, GA) for a short while in early June. I'd love to visit a donor center which has implemented ISBT 128 labelling. If your center has and you'd be willing to let me visit, please email me!

Our company ha sISBT128 on-demand labeling systems in Kuwait and Saudia Arabia and you may wish to contact me at 847-613-2106 or a rkriozere@digi-trax.com. See our web site: www.digi-trax.com

Here's my question on ISBT and split units. Are split units designated in the product code, unit number, or both?

The product code is what identifies the unit as an aliquot of the parent product so changes as/when a different component is created. The unit number is associated with the donation and stays the same no matter how many different types of products oraliquots are produced from that donation (hence known as the Donation Identification Number or DIN). The same is actually true with Codabar-- the unit number is associated with the donation and all products/aliquots have the same unit number. Some computer systems could not manage multiple "same" products from one donation, e.g., 2 red cells or 2 plasma units, so the computer "work-around" was to modify or append the unit number in some manner trying to trick the computer to believe they were different donations.

To answer your questions:

1. We don't indicate collection sites in the DIN. Our computer system allows us to "allocate" number sets to our various centers. In addition, our system assigns drive codes that tell the computer where the unit was collected, in addition of course to the demographic information entered manually at data entry.

2. We purchase commercially printed numbers, in large part for better control of them.

3. We do all of the labelling ourselves

4. In ISBT, the splits are indicated in the product codes.

You'd be welcome to come see how we do things but we're a ways from Atlanta, in Louisiana. Let me know if you'd like to visit.

QUOTE=csjuarez;2359]Our donor center will be acquiring new software in the next few months and with its implementation will also implement ISBT 128 labeling. As we're preparing for this, we have some questions:

1) What are other donor centers doing to differentiate the various collection sites that were formerly designated by various 1 or 2 alpha characters? Will you use separate FINs, special numeric designations in the unit number flag field, designating certain sequences of numbers to the various sites, or something else/nothing.

We have only one site

2) Do you order commercially printed Donation ID labels, print them in advance on site, or print them on demand?

We get pre printed labels from Shamrock - We get an overlay, label for the bottom right (RBC, FFP) a little sticker that says expiration date and isbt bar codes that also have just the unit number without the bar code. We found that this was easier because we needed the numbers for the pilot tubes and donor forms anyway.

3) Do you get your collection bags pre-labeled or do all the labeling yourself?

We use the terumo bags and they are not pre-set for ISBT so we use an overlay label. We have it pre-printed with our FDA information.

If you wish to examine the potential use of on-demand printing for all ISBT128 labeling, either stand-alone or interfaced with your host blood bank management system please feel free to contact me at rkriozere@digi-trax.com..

Richard

Hello Claudia,

We have customers that designate various collection sites by ordering preprinted DIN labels from us with the FIRST character of the last 6 characters representing a specific collection site. For example, the main collection site might be W1234 09 100000. One of your other collection sites might start at W1234 09 200000 and another could be W1234 09 300000. You can set this up a variety of ways and we can help you if you have questions. We have many centers that chose to do it this way. We keep track of the number sequences so reordering is a breeze.

All of our centers across the U.S. order preprinted DIN labels for the same concern ar_confederate expressed in his/her post – for better control of them (DINs).

All of our centers seem to prefer labeling the collection bags themselves on-demand.

In addition to being a preprinted label manufacturer, we also offer a way to set you up with a system to print your own ISBT product labels including 4x4’s, 4x2’s and 2x2’s. This system can integrate into your new blood bank computer system or act as a stand-alone system. The system we sell is called LabelClinic from Niceware.

For more information and for a blood center recommendation in Florida that you can see running ISBT blood products, please contact me at:

John McKamely

Data2 Corporation

Data2.com

636-278-8888 x323

johnm@data2.com

All the best,

John McKamely