Using a Blood Tag for Blood Supply Integrity in 4 Steps
Blood is a life sustaining substance no one can live without, but receiving an improper blood transfusion can be as deadly as not receiving one at all. Blood must be adequately heated, or the patient can experience hypothermia. Ill health can also ensue from mixing up information and delivering an infusion from the wrong blood supply.
At Shamrock Labels, we help blood banks and hospitals ensure that the informational side of blood collection and infusion is properly accounted for. The good news is the process of accounting for your collection and infusions operations needn’t be complex. Taking the following four steps with our blood tag labels provides all of the information you need for proper collection and infusion.
- Blood Unit Data
The information a blood tag should display is straightforward. Medical professionals need the following pieces of knowledge to safely administer transfusions: blood group, collection date and time, expiration date and time, component description, and special tests performed after collection. Including this data on the tag provides a supplemental way to communicate additional informational.
- Blood Unit Destination
Where is this unit headed? The answer can differ, depending on whether you’re a blood bank or a hospital. However, in either setting, checking the destination of blood bags prior to performing infusions helps reveal misplaced blood collections. The goal, of course, is to prevent misplacement. Clearly identifying a blood supply’s destination helps prevent human error that — at the very least — leads to the unwanted consequences of rework and productivity lags.
- Blood Unit Storage
How should a unit be stored: in a refrigerator, a freezer, a cryogenic tank, etc.? The answer depends on how quickly blood will be used for infusions, and whether it’s headed to a temporary location in a blood collection unit or a permanent location in a blood bank or a hospital. Moreover, you might need a blood tag whose composition is suited to the storage condition. Our tags are comprised of materials specially chosen for blood storage conditions.
- Blood Unit Reference
You also have the option of using barcodes to expedite categorization and identification, and add yet another level of integrity to information referencing. This is often done using adhesive blood bag labels, but you can place a label on the tag — in addition to the bag — to get the added safety data redundancy offers.
At least six types of information should be included in barcodes: donation number, collection date and time, product code, blood group code, expiration date and time, and special test results. The improved processing speed of barcoding also benefits emergency units by literally helping to keep blood flowing into the veins of critical patients.
Contact Us Today
A blood tag is a simple, small product that can make a big difference in the safety and efficiency of blood collection, blood storage, and blood infusions. For over 45 years, we’ve provided stock custom blood tag options for blood banks and hospitals that address the criteria above, and more. To place an order or inquire about our products, please call us today at (800) 323-0249, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to lending our support!