An insufficient blood supply can have severe negative impacts on hospitals, especially in a Trauma Centers or Emergency Department. A shortage of blood is an obstacle to properly treat trauma patients, provide blood transfusions, and conduct elective surgeries. Trauma Centers and Emergency Departments require Type O-negative blood, which is also known as uncrossmatched blood, for patients whose live hang in the balance. O-negative blood is often called the ‘universal blood type’ because nearly anyone can receive it. This makes it vitally important in an emergency or when a patient’s blood type is unknown.
According to the Red Cross, only 7% of people have type O negative blood, and there is currently only a half-day supply nationwide. With COVID-19 being a primary reason for blood shortages worldwide, the donation of this blood type has taken a significant hit. Also, it is reported by the Red Cross that there has been a 10% increase in blood requests from Trauma Centers since 2019. These factors show how important O-negative blood can be in saving someone’s life.
One of the issues Trauma Centers and Emergency Departments have been facing is proper documentation of blood. That includes tracking blood when it arrives, keeping a clear record of which blood was used on which patients, and other important data like expiration dates. Another challenge with blood is that it has a shelf life of 48 days (about 1 and a half months), so any errors in record-keeping can lead to wasted blood, which hospitals absolutely cannot afford.
In order to bring innovation to an area desperately needing it, Mobile Aspects has produced a solution to automatically document the usage of blood. iRISecure-Blood is the first and only RFID (radio frequency identification) blood tracking and documentation system designed specifically for Trauma Centers and Emergency Departments. iRISecure-Blood was designed to bring automation to Trauma Centers and EDs so that staff can focus on the patient rather than filling out laborious forms and data logs. The system can be integrated with the blood supplier’s information systems to provide seamless communication between a blood bank and its blood supplier, as well as to the Electronic Medical Record to provide automatic documentation in the patient’s medical record. The system also automatically records important information about each blood transfusion such as serial number and expiration date. Alerts are provided to remind hospital staff about expiration dates and blood that has been out of cold storage for too long.
With its unique features, iRISecure-Blood solves many documentation and workflow issues that most Trauma Centers and Emergency Departments face. Sign up for a demo today to learn more about this groundbreaking product.