Barcode Wristbands and Blood Banking

Blood banking has advanced within the past ten years due to the advances of technology. The latest barcode labels and scanners have made it easier to identify donations of blood at blood banks, marking the type of blood, the name of the donor, and the dates of the blood donation. Along with this technology, the International Society of Blood Transfusion has established a standard to identify an individual's blood using barcodes. The first standard, called ISBT (International Society of Blood Transfusion) 128, was originally established in 1994 but with the advent of RFID barcodes, blood banking has become more efficient, quickly accessing the right blood type through RFID tracking. Accurate information is absolutely essential in life-or-death medical situations where blood transfusions are required. Health care and barcode label manufacturers provide the necessary RFID labels on patient wristbands that have barcodes on them to immediately identify patient information when someone donates blood.

One manufacturer that provides barcode solutions for blood banking is Typenex. Their barcode blood bands for handwriting comes with pre-printed barcodes, a space for the patient's name to be written on, and several copies of the same barcode label which can be removed from the band and placed on any test tubes that contain the blood specimen. These specimens are then sent to the blood bank. Typenex barcode blood bands come in red, yellow, green, orange, and blue. The barcodes on these wristbands can be scanned into the blood bank's laboratory information system, guaranteeing accuracy in patient identification information. This band is also R3 accessory band compatible which allows for resizing and replacement on a patient's wrist.

Precision Dynamics Corporation provides several barcode supplies to blood banks, including wristbands and tags for thermal printing, Securline® Bar Code Blood Bands, and labels for laser printing. The Securline® Bar Code Blood Bands are made of latex- and phthalate-free materials which make them comfortable for wearing by patients with sensitive skin. Best of all, these pre-printed barcode bands will work with any existing blood bank system so there is no need to change it upon purchasing the bands.

Typenex provides blood banking solutions that reduce errors and increase management efficiency. The company is based in Chicago, Illinois. Precision Dynamics Corporation manufactures wristbands for practically any purpose and provides them to retail businesses, hospitals, blood banks, and law enforcement. The company is based in San Fernando, California and has been in business since 1956.

Photos courtesy of Typenex and Precision Dynamics Corporation.

Written by Mary Haberstroh

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