PREPARING FOR ISBT-128 SYMBOLOGY
By John Iles
Hundreds of healthcare facilities across the country are converting their blood bank to the required
International Society Blood Transfusion (ISBT) barcode labels. You might be surprised to learn that there is
more to this process than simply creating a new label to comply with the International Council for Commonality
in Blood Bank Automation (ICCBBA). Being a MEDITECH site will add unique complications. The following guidelines
should be kept in mind as you move forward with your conversion.
As we move towards a more global neighborhood, we need to share resources more widely. Among these resources
are blood and blood products. The labels display critical information including: blood groups, expiration date
and product description. The language and presentation differ, but the information is always the same. The
ICCBBA and the implementation of the ISBT standard strive for global cohesion of blood labels, regardless of
origin. These internationally agreed upon standards, along with sophisticated computer systems help enhance
safety, accuracy and efficiency.
Before the labeling process can begin, go to the ICCBBA website (www.ibbcca.org) to register, and pay the
annual fee. It is a requirement to register if you want to implement ISBT-128.
The next step is to analyze your overall workflow to determine your printer needs. Under the new guidelines,
when any change occurs with a product (thawed, pooled, split) it requires a new label, which may require
additional label printers to meet the new demand. Don’t forget to call IT operations and coordinate having new
ports put in for any additional printers.
Digi-Trax is the only maker of the MEDITECH supported printers. They have several options for your blood bank
and your budget. The hospital at which I am presently engaged purchased the interface printing software
Hema-Trax™, as well as, the “stand alone” software. The interface software actually resides on a PC in the
department and acts more like middle-ware. When you are ready to print, MEDITECH sends the request to
Hema-Trax™ and the Hema-Trax™ software knows what type of label to print based on the request. The “stand alone”
software is necessary in case the MEDITECH system is ever unavailable.
Another component to consider is ISBT compatible scanners. If you are doing positive patient identification
at bed-side for product administration then nursing will need compatible scanners.
Once you have determined all your workflow needs, it is time to start building. MEDITECH has a good
implementation guide to walk you through the process of dictionary edits. Here are a couple of dictionaries you
will need to edit:
- Blood Type Dictionary: The .ISBT 128 bar code symbology will need to be added to each type. The list of
codes can be obtained from ICCBBA.
- Product Dictionary: Again, each product will have to have the ISBT 128 symbology. The list of codes can
be obtained from ICCBBA. Do not forget that with the ISBT, we can no longer add a character to an existing
unit number without changing it. It becomes a new product requiring a new label.
- Source Dictionary: Get the list of source codes from ICCBBA.
- LIS Customer- Defined Parameters: MEDITECH has added new prompts for antigen mnemonics. When a user
scans an ISBT label that contains the code for an antigen, the system files the antigen with the unit.
For more information about International Society Blood Transfusion coding visit www.ibbcca.org .For any
MEDITECH implementation or optimization needs, please call our office at 610-444-1233 or visit our website at
www.getvitalized.com.