RFID-enabled Locks Secure Bags of Blood

The operator then puts the assigned blood bag into another clear plastic bag with a ziplock closure and applies a MediLock. The nurse uses the Palmed to read the bar code on the blood bag inside the outer bag, and the information on the request form. If all the information matches, this confirms that the operator has inserted the proper blood bag into the holding bag. The MediLock is then sealed (after receiving notification via Bluetooth) and can only be opened after a Palmed operator transmits the proper electronic combination via a Bluetooth connection. The electronic combination is made up of a series of numbers, including the request code, the bar code of the blood unit and the patient's ID.

The MediLock contains a temperature sensor allowing it to monitor the temperature of the air outside the blood bag and its carrier. Once the MediLock is sealed, it begins to keep a log of the external temperature and the time, since blood can spoil at certain temperatures.

Back at the bedside, the nurse scans a patient's wristband with the Palmed. Since they both contain Bluetooth modules, the Palmed and the MediLock communicate continuously. Therefore, once the wristband has been scanned, the MediLock compares the patient ID of the wristband with the patient ID that is part of the MediLock combination. The MediLock knows that only one particular patient ID can be used to open the seal, so it compares the patient ID number on the wristband with the one encoded in its combination. If the codes match, the lock opens. The unlocking procedure takes about two to three seconds. If the temperature at which the blood bag was stored is higher or lower than the parameters set, the lock will not open.

The transfusion can now begin. Once finished, the nurse uses the Palmed to record the time it was completed, along with any reactions the patient may have experienced. Some 25 reactions are codified, and the operator simply enters a few digits into the Palmed. The information is then shared with the MediLock and returned to the blood bank. All information on the MediLock is updated into the database via the Medilink, and the Emoguard software keeps a record of each step of the transfusion process for every patient.

During the implementation, Luppi says, the hospital and Tiomed faced challenges training staff on the concepts of the system and how to use it.

"The biggest challenge is organizational. It's a change of mentality," Rubertelli explains. "We're asking the operator, who used to work manually, to use a device to do something that was done without one before."

Tiomed offered training to a small group of people, who then became responsible for instructing others. Presently, more than 60 people are trained to use the system. In 2007, the hospital will implement the blood-tracking system across all departments. The system will also be implemented at hospitals in four other cities: Ospedale S. Martino, in Belluno; Ospedale Civile dello Spirito Santo, in Pescara; Ospedale Civile, in Venice; and Ospedale S. Anna, in Ferrara.