What is the preferred method for documenting transfusion information for products tranferred with patients to other hospitals? Currently, when we're asked to physically pack up a unit to go, we send a self-addressed stamped envelope with a form letter in it that requests all the necessary documentation (Occassionally, we get them back! :-).

However, when the ER decides to hang a unit and then load someone on a helicopter...we don't even know the unit has left the building until days later. In that situation it's almost impossible to retrieve the information (i.e. end time, TXRXN?, etc.)

Any ideas? Is it ok to simply document, "unit transferred with patient to...?"

Thanks,

Heather

Sometimes all you can do is to write something like that on the form.

My spies tell me that the dust off group documents very well, so the information exists if you reallly, really wanted it. So the question is, how bad do you want it? We record something like "initiated in ER and transported with patient" on our copy for our records and report it to the transfusion committee.

Reminds me of those situations where the forms are reconstructed afterwards from the pile of empty blood and IV bags thrown in a dedicated corner of the trauma room ... if the transfusion committee won't care, why bother?

We never get anything back on any transfusion (unless there is a problem but that's whole different story). So from that standpoint, it dosen't matter if the patient stays here for the entire transfusion or gets it enroute. The next day the blood is posted in the computer as transfused and we are done with it.

If we shipped patients with blood hanging a lot, and we don't, I would probably figure out how to do the occsional audit just to confirm the life flight guys are as good as they claim but I would not fret over every unit. I have plenty of other things to fret over.