BloodTrack electronic system enhances patient safety in Bournemouth

In addition, the trust’s staff and patients are also benefiting from a more efficient process and reduced blood sample rejection and rebleed rates. “The Olympus BloodTrack system is a tried and tested solution with an excellent support network and is by far the best system available,” said Helen Howlett, IT project manager for the trust. “It has proved itself to be an extremely robust solution, ensuring that the right blood is always given to the right patient at the right time.”

Positive patient identification
BloodTrack uses a Positive Patient Identification (PPI) system that consists of modular software packages using two-dimensional barcoding and wireless Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). The wireless technology ensures that any non-conformities are alerted in real-time directly to the laboratory, while an audible alarm is sounded if the barcode-labelled blood does not match the patient’s barcoded wristband. “In addition, this system ensures complete accountability from all personnel involved in the transfusion process. We can now stop any potential problem immediately in its tracks, which is of course crucial for patient safety,” added Helen Howlett.

As all labels are now printed on demand via the PDA following patient wristband and staff identification badge scanning, laboratory sample rejection rates during the crossmatching process are now minimal. “Previously, we had a 10% sample rejection rate due to illegible handwriting on sample labels, but this is now down to 4%. This means that we rarely have to rebleed patients and ensures a highly efficient process,” said Helen Howlett. “Printing on demand also adds an extra level of safety due to a 15-second timeout on the PDA. Labels can only be printed at the bedside of one patient at a time, thereby ensuring no opportunity for crossmatching errors.”