Transfusion Samples Labelling Process

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) are updating their sample labelling for group & hold (transfusion) samples, as per below. Pathlab will also be moving to the same criteria effective Monday 7th November 2022 to ensure we can continue to refer samples to NZBS.

Please circulate this updated process to any staff who may collect samples.

New criteria – label it correctly or re-collect

From Monday, November 7, 2022, all blood sample labels must be handwritten and contain the following information:

• The patient’s family name and given name.
• The patient’s NHI and date of birth.
• The date and time the sample was collected.
• The signature or initials of the person collecting the blood sample.

Mislabelled blood samples cover the following scenarios:

• Sample or request form has incomplete, incorrect or misspelled patient information.
• Sample or request form is missing information or signatures/initials.
• Sample has a patient sticky label attached to it, or evidence that a sticky label has been removed from the sample.
• Sample has only the NHI or only their date of birth.

A new sample will need to be collected for any error in sample and/or form labelling. Samples will no longer be able to be corrected.

Thank you for your support with this change.