Effective October 15th, 2017, all specimens collected for Blood Bank must have two signatures on the specimen written in ink that is resistant to smearing after a patient has been identified according to the Patient Identification Policy.
One of the two collectors/witnesses must be a lab staff member, unless specimen is collected in Spectrum Health Surgery, Infusion Center, Special Care Hospital, Cardiac Cath Lab Procedure Room, or a cord blood in Labor and Delivery. For Outpatients, the patient may serve as the witness and initial the tube label.
The specimens and testing that will be affected by this policy change are listed below:
- ABO/Rh
- Antenatal RhIg
- Antibody Screen
- Cord Blood Specimen
- DAT
- Postpartum RhIg
- Prenatal Screen
- Sickle Cell testing
- Titers
- Transfusion Reaction
- Type & Screen
- Extra lavender tube for Blood Bank
All specimens must be labeled at the patient’s side. All specimens must contain
- First and last name of the patient
- Date of Birth
- Medical Record Number
- Specimen date and time
- Laboratory Information System (LIS) accession number
If there are any questions as to the validity of the specimen identification or an inconsistency between current and previous results, a new specimen must be collected.
Questions, comments and inquiries may be directed to Blood Bank using the “contact us” link above.
For Spectrum Health employees, please reference policy #6476.
