Identification System Prevents Blood Transfusion Errors

An easy-to-use physical barrier system helps reduce blood transfusion errors associated with patient identification.

The FinalCheck Recipient Safety System provides a mechanical barrier in the form of a combination lock on a blood bag that can only be opened by using a code that is printed on the patient’s hospital admission band. The combination lock will only open when the correct code is entered; if a clinician accidentally attempts to open the bag using another patient’s code, it will stay closed, and the transfusion will not occur. The system is based on a two-stage approach, the first being a blood sample taken from the patient and sent to the blood bank with a FinalCheck code applied to the barcoded specimen tube.

At the blood bank, the specimen tube is scanned for patient identification and FinalCheck code, avoiding the risk of manual data entry. The FinalCheck code is then set on the lock of the FinalCheck bag, and the compatible blood component-transfusion bag is placed inside it. The lock is then placed on the carrier bag and the combination lock is scrambled. Before the actual transfusion, the combination lock must be set to the correct patient code so that the blood bag can be used. The FinalCheck Recipient Safety System is a product of Typenex Medical (Chicago, IL, USA).

“A mechanical barrier is the extra step needed in patient safety to prevent the wrong transfusion. People are always busy, and when clinicians are busy and distracted, that’s when the barrier approach becomes critical,” said Kim Blain, blood bank technical lead at Boulder Community Hospital (BCH; CO, USA). “FinalCheck is simply a well-designed, easy-to-use option that stops the transfusionist in her tracks if something isn’t right.”

Related Links:
Typenex Medical
Boulder Community Hospital