We were cited for using a brass fastener to attach compatibility slips to blood products.

Our slip prints on a dot matrix printer. The form has two parts:

The Blood ID slip

The Blood Administration slip.

We were putting the brass fastener through both parts, which meant nursing must remove it to tear off their Administration slip. Then reattach blood ID slip.

If we only attached the top part, it fell off easily. The brass fastener makes it too easy to remove.

What does everyone else use?

I had wanted to order plastic hand fasteners, but having a problem finding a vendor that Tenet can do business with. We don't want the tags attached by gun, as the gun doesn't work very well (Market Lab).

Thanks, Gil

We went to a 8.5 x 11 form that has a sticker on part of it. The patient and unit information is printed both at the top of the form and at the bottom, on the sticker. We place the sticker on the unit of blood. That is the information that is not removed. The 8.5 x 11 form is attached to the unit with rubber band and nursing may remove the form to do their documentation. That form is charted. The sticker goes in the trash with the used bag. This process works very well. I have attached a draft image of the form.

M10027_Proof 091906.pdf

We use a rubberband looped through the hole of our tag, which is almost impossible to remove without scissors. Prior to that, we used a looped rubberband through holes in the form, but it was too easy to just rip off the form, then "reattach" it somehow.

We plan on going with a label on the unit and an electronic Transfusion Administration Record by the end of the year.

We use twist ties.

We use a gun with plastic tags (similar to how the stores attach the price tags to clothing items.) We order both the gun and the plastic tags from our local office supply store in town. Our gun works fine, as long as you use it in one of the plastic areas of the donor units. (Remarkably, I don't remember anyone ever piercing the blood product, thanks goodness!)

Many of the office supply companies have/produce plastic secure-tags similar to "cable ties" or as others mentioned tags to clothing. See Avery 18800 as an example. No gun required........

Who do you order other office supplies through? We are a Tenet facility also, so I feel your pain about vendors. We use the Avery Secur-A-Tach fasteners and I order them through Corporate Express.

Many of the office supply companies have/produce plastic secure-tags similar to "cable ties" or as others mentioned tags to clothing. See Avery 18800 as an example. No gun required........

Thanks, that's what I'm looking for.

I had found a company that offered 5000 for $46, but the company wouldn't take a PO or check, so the hospital couldn't do business with them. They insisted on a credit card!

These are more expensive, but can get them anywhere.

Thanks, Gil

We use manila shipping tags that have string attached. 4 3/4" x2 1/4". We place the crossmatch label on the tag and attach it to the unit. We get them from Corporate Express.

(The string doesn't come with a knot in the end so our phlebotomists knot the strings in their spare time) At our facility, if it's slow, they send you home, so this little chore comes in handy during periods of low census. They even volunteer to do it!)

We use the Avery Secur-a-tach fasteners; they work great.

we have a compatibility sticker and we rubber band our two ply compatibility slip to donor unit. We use to have tie tag to attach slip to bag but we changed our process to make sure we are in compliance " the information on tie tag must stay with the unit during transfusion procedd(do not remember exact standard)".

I inspected a facility who uses tie tag to attach their two ply form to donor unit and when I was observing the process, guess what nurse removed the slips so she could sign the form.....ofcourse I had to cite them for that....We need make sure we make user friendly process so it will not result in non compliance to our own policy or regulations.