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Computer System for Blood Transfusion Service
Author(s) -
Högman C. F.,
Ramgren O.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/j.1537-2995.1970.tb00718.x
Subject(s) - blood bank , automation , computer science , service (business) , work (physics) , transfer (computing) , medicine , blood donations , blood transfusion , reading (process) , office automation , operations management , medical emergency , surgery , operating system , engineering , business , mechanical engineering , marketing , law , political science
An EDP‐system has been developed to include several different blood bank routines and is suitable for an institutional blood bank as well as for an organization working with mobile units. It consists, in principle, of three parts: (1) An EDP‐system for registration and call‐up of blood donors, booking of blood‐letting programs, review of the total donor situation, etc. (2) A manual punch‐card system for the blood‐group serologic laboratory. A card punch with a corner‐cut reading device facilitates, in an easy, safe and inexpensive way, the transfer of punched data in a visible as well as computer‐readable form. (3) An EDP‐system for analysis of laboratory work and transfusions, cost accounting, and other statistical analysis. The system has been in use since the end of 1965. At present seven hospital blood banks and six mobile unit teams are involved, about 45,000 active blood donors are registered, and the number of blood donations is 135,000 per year. Only one computer is used. Although the distance between the computer center and the blood banks is up to 600 km (370 miles), communication has not been a problem, and data sent by ordinary mail have been fully satisfactory. The efficiency of blood bank administration has been considerably increased by the automation of previous manual functions and by the new possibilities of reviewing, at short intervals, such factors as the total donor situation and work‐load.