|
|
In a word: Limitations. Codabar is an obsolete bar code symbology and as time passes it will become increasingly difficult to obtain equipment that will print and scan these bar codes. Although the best solution at the time of its introduction into blood banking automation, it can no longer meet the growing demands for quality or capacity.
There are other data fields on the current product label (such as red cell antigen testing, HLA phenotypes and genotypes, platelet antigen types, time of expiration) that need to be captured using an electronic system. Since there is not an on-going support mechanism for ABC Codabar, there is no mechanism to add these additional fields.
In particular the error rates for Codabar bar code reads are far higher than with more modern alternatives. Code 128 (the bar code standard used by ISBT 128) has an inbuilt error detection system making it much more secure.
Adoption of the modern ISBT 128 standard is justified for other important reasons. ABC Codabar capacity has been maximized and it can no longer handle the sheer quantity of all product description codes in existence. In addition, Codabar does not encode important information such as volume (450 mL vs. 500 mL) on red cell products or the anticoagulant on platelet and plasma products. Because of these limitations, Codabar product coding will no longer be able to accommodate new products, especially as Cellular Therapy product codes are added.
Furthermore, the current ABC Codabar structure does not identify the donation identification number (DIN or unit number) as a unique number. In the current ABC Codabar structure, the donation DIN and the collection center must both be entered to create a unique product identification. Additionally, a number of blood centers are running out of unique DIN under the Codabar system. Their computer systems will not allow duplication of numbers which makes conversion to ISBT 128 mandatory. Since these centers may ship components outside of their regions, many facilities may receive their products. These receiving facilities will also need to be able to read ISBT 128 labels.
|
