I gave blood a couple of months ago without an ID band and I knew better. Myself and another nurse checked the chart for the order from md, labs, consent, compared the blood with the paperwork, then we were getting ready to compare the blood to the ID band on the pt when I noticed that the patient didnot have one. I immediately checked the chart to see if it may have fallen off the patient or if someone may have put it in the chart. The bracelet was not there. I let the charge nurse know and told her that I wanted to call the supervisor and she said to just get a sticker and put it on a band. They evidently do this all the time here. I argued with her about her knowing that this was not right and the if anything happened I could lose my license and possibly kill somebody. The original nurse who was checking the blood with me decided that she didnt want to go through with it, which I understood, so I tell the charge nurse, since she says its ok, she needs to sign. The pt was losing alot of blood and really needed the blood that night. I had given him blood a couple of nights before and knew him, but I am always strict with the rules. I have never been so ****** off. You never know where the sample of blood may have come from. At this hospital that I work in, it takes hours for the courier to bring and take blood back to any place. Anyway the next day, I tell the nurse who always thinks she is super nurse that the pt didnt have a ID band on to check the blood last night, she claims it fell off. I know that was a lie because I looked everywhere in his room and on him. Usually when you ask her to get something for a pt and the next night you come in she still don't have it done . This time she got that ID band printed and placed on the pt because she knew she was wrong. This is a specialty hospital in DC and there is always something going on. A month ago, two nurses gave blood without a consent. One decided to quit because she thought the manager was gonna fire her. I need to find another job before I lose my license in this place.
I would never give blood w/out an armband. As an agency nurse, I don't know these patients from Adam and it is too dangerous mucking about with meds.
When patients don't have an armband, I ask re their address, DOB etc to ascertain who they are. But blood is a different story. Reactions happen fast.
I'd be brusing up that CV and going walkabout for another job myself. And don't let anyone put u under pressure - always double check a patient's ID if they don't have an armband.
And it's very easy to put the wrong armband on the wrong patient - I've seen it done once when I was a student. Very dangerous if you don't double check who the patient is!
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Our blood band is good for 4 days before a new type and cross is needed.. Lab comes up draws for it and places the new band on while removing the old one..Why the new T&C every 4 days, I don't know.. I will check and see the rational behind the time line.. The consent for blood is good for the duration of their stay.
It is my belief that NO blood or blood product, or meds for that matter, should EVER be given without an arm band/ID band/blood bank band that ensures proper identification. To do so is a breech of policy and procedure as well as negligence and malpractice. If I was the supervisor/manager and I caught it.....you WILL be disciplined! The discipline will depend on many factors but you'll be looking at days off without pay:mad:.....IT IS that big of a deal. Giving a patient the wrong blood/blood product can have fatal outcomes.
The T&C every 4 days to minimize transfusion related incidents. If the patient is being transfused actively antibodies may be accumulated. The new T&C will discover these changes. It also allows for a fresh crossmatch on held units as the crossmatch expires and allows for re-evaluation for the need for units on hold and their release to be used for another patient.:)
We dont use blood bands. We go by the pts ID band and its supposed to be checked by two nurses at other hospitals. Where I work, they break the rules so I was terrified. The nurse that morning replaced the band because she evidently didnt check the armband when she got the sample of blood. Im upset because the pt really needed the blood and the nurse before me didnt follow procedure. It took forever for the blood to make it to my hospital. I work in a small specialty hosp at night and we cant print armbands at night unfortunately. People make mistakes all the time and I didnt want to be one of them.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
We don't use blood bands. We go by the pts ID band and its supposed to be checked by two nurses at other hospitals. Where I work, they break the rules so I was terrified. The nurse that morning replaced the band because she evidently didn't check the armband when she got the sample of blood. I'm upset because the pt really needed the blood and the nurse before me don't follow procedure. It took forever for the blood to make it to my hospital. I work in a small specialty hosp at night and we cant print armbands at night unfortunately. People make mistakes all the time and I didn't want to be one of them.
I remain confused....did the patient have a band on or not....if they did not have an arm band on....... was there no way to use a patient sticky with the patients information on an allergy band of some type so they patient has some sort of band on them? If there would be a surprise BOH visit or other accreditation visit there would be real problems for the facility and the staff as well as some pretty healthy fines. What do you do if someone dies and they have no arm band or have to go to the hospital and have no arm band....surely there is a contingency plan. I moon light supervised at a small speciality hospital called a LTAC....if the patient did not have a band on we used an allergy band with the patients sticky on it until a band could be procured in the am.
We dont use blood bands. We go by the pts ID band and its supposed to be checked by two nurses at other hospitals. Where I work, they break the rules so I was terrified. The nurse that morning replaced the band because she evidently didnt check the armband when she got the sample of blood. Im upset because the pt really needed the blood and the nurse before me didnt follow procedure. It took forever for the blood to make it to my hospital. I work in a small specialty hosp at night and we cant print armbands at night unfortunately. People make mistakes all the time and I didnt want to be one of them.
I am also still confused. It doesn't matter what the rules are at other hospitals, you are held by the rules at your hospital.
Was the pt wearing an ID band or not?
You say that the nurse replaced the band but didn't check it - how do you know?
What is the procedure for replacing lost bands and how do you know that another nurse didn't follow it?
And why did it take forever for the blood to get to your hospital?
It is my belief that NO blood or blood product, or meds for that matter, should EVER be given without an arm band/ID band/blood bank band that ensures proper identification. To do so is a breech of policy and procedure as well as negligence and malpractice. If I was the supervisor/manager and I caught it.....you WILL be disciplined! The discipline will depend on many factors but you'll be looking at days off without pay:mad:.....IT IS that big of a deal. Giving a patient the wrong blood/blood product can have fatal outcomes.
The T&C every 4 days to minimize transfusion related incidents. If the patient is being transfused actively antibodies may be accumulated. The new T&C will discover these changes. It also allows for a fresh crossmatch on held units as the crossmatch expires and allows for re-evaluation for the need for units on hold and their release to be used for another patient.:)
How long does it take to print an id band? OP states she gave blood to same patient a few days before so if printing band takes forever why not get a patient label and make an temporary ID before printing a permanent one. And if the transfusion is not emergent then take the blood back to the blood bank and sort out the problems.
So id bands come off all the time. Just because there wasn't one on that night, it doesn't mean there wasn't one on that morning when the blood was drawn. And if you can't print a new id band, why not put a pt sticker on the patient so you know who it is? Why wait until you get a printed band?
And now that we've confirmed the OP's facility does NOT use blood bands, can we PLEASE stop posting about how important blood bands are and that anyone that isn't using one will go to jail followed by being drawn and quartered?
carolmaccas66, BSN, RN
2,212 Posts
I would never give blood w/out an armband. As an agency nurse, I don't know these patients from Adam and it is too dangerous mucking about with meds.
When patients don't have an armband, I ask re their address, DOB etc to ascertain who they are. But blood is a different story. Reactions happen fast.
I'd be brusing up that CV and going walkabout for another job myself. And don't let anyone put u under pressure - always double check a patient's ID if they don't have an armband.
And it's very easy to put the wrong armband on the wrong patient - I've seen it done once when I was a student. Very dangerous if you don't double check who the patient is!