Abstract

Background
Errors in the transfusion process are common. These errors encompass a spectrum of events ranging from incorrect transfusion to administration of infected blood products. To overcome these complications, we developed a new blood management software system - the BT-Online system - to decrease erroneous transfusions that are mostly human based.
Material and Method
Like previously developed transfusion safety systems, this program uses handheld devices to improve the safety of bedside practices. The BT-online system consists of 3 main structures: (1) the personal digital assistant, (2) the equipment and software (user interface), and (3) the relational database and a web service providing communication of a security-layered database with other personal digital assistants.
Results
This system has many features including the ability at the bedside to check the complete patient history and requested tests and blood products, the ability to conduct simultaneous multiple procedures, the ability to transmit results to the database, the ability to gather restrictions and warnings regarding the transfusion and request sections, the ability to provide constant and secure data transfer, a user-friendly design, the ability to gather warnings during measurements that alert the user to potential errors, the ability to enter complications and symptoms and retrieve relevant information and suggestions, the ability to enter transfusion complications, and the ability to check test results and create statistical data for future use.
Conclusions
This system can contribute to blood banks and health care facilities via the above-mentioned specifications. We recommend this system to health care facilities with a significant patient turnover.

Keywords: Medical Records Systems, Computerized - instrumentation, Online Systems, Software, Blood Transfusion - methods