Blood Order and Administration Updates Coming Soon
July 21, 2021 | 1 min. to read
Blood product ordering and administration workflows will be updated on July 24 to achieve clinical alignment and to improve patient safety. The following changes will occur:
General blood product orders: Hold functionality will be updated, and the Blood Bank Viewer/Report will provide improved transparency when ordering blood products. View a tip sheet.
Obstetricblood product orders: To meet the unique transfusion needs of Obstetrics patients, a Prepare and Crossmatch order may be indicated based on a patient's risk for hemorrhage without the need to transfuse at the same time. View a tip sheet and a video demo of the ordering process.
Platelet order quantities will be per unit instead of current per dose to align with standard terminology. One unit is equivalent to one dose, defined as the quantity of platelets expected to raise an average adult's platelet count by 30,000/µL. Units should not be confused for whole blood-derived platelets, which must be given in pools of four to six to yield a therapeutic dose, and are not supplied from Northwestern Medicine Blood Banks. Ordering providers may need to call the Blood Bank to confirm the proper dosage. View a tip sheet.