Bar Code and Radio-Frequency Technologies Can Increase Safety and Efficiency of Blood Transfusions

Abstract

Bar-coded labels on wristbands, blood sample tubes, and blood components can facilitate matching the “right” blood unit and the “right” patient. Nurses preferred to verify their patientblood unit identification matches by scanning bar code labels rather than seeking out a second nurse for a conventional visual “double check” verification. Occasional scans of barcoded wristbands failed because of crinkles, food spills, and blurring due to bathing. Also, inadvertently scanning the wrong bar code on a blood component signaled the program that a mismatch was occurring and “shut down” the system, according to the requirements of our software program. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) labels on wristbands and blood components were easier to scan, but bar coded labels may be adequate for personal identification cards and labels on blood sample tubes for budget-conscious transfusion safety systems. We envision significant advantages to combining transfusion safety and medication dispensing systems, using common hardware and complementary software programs.