ISBT 128 is a global standard for the identification, labeling, and information transfer of medical products of human origin (MPHO) across international borders and disparate health care systems. MPHO includes
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
, cells, tissues,
human milk
Breast milk (sometimes spelled as breastmilk) or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns, containing fat, protein, carbohydrates (lactos ...
, and organ products.
History
The
International Society of Blood Transfusion
The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and spreads reliable information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can bes ...
(ISBT) working group on automation and data processing began in the early 1990s and was later joined by the
AABB, the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
(ARC), the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
, and the Health Industry Manufacturers Association in the development of the symbology which would come to be known as the ISBT 128 international standard.
The acronym ISBT was originally derived from the important role played by the
International Society of Blood Transfusion
The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and spreads reliable information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can bes ...
(ISBT) in the development of the standard. Today it expands as International Standard for Blood and Transplant. The number 128 reflects the 128 characters of the ASCII 7 bit character set that the standard uses.
The
was established in 1995 and given the responsibility for implementation and management of the new standard.
Version 1.0 of the ISBT 128 Standard Technical Specification was first published in 1997, and was intended to replace the ABC Codabar and other similar CODABAR-based standards in use in
transfusion medicine
Transfusion medicine (or transfusiology) is the branch of medicine that encompasses all aspects of the transfusion of blood and blood components including aspects related to hemovigilance. It includes issues of blood donation, immunohematology ...
at that time with a more secure bar code symbology which contains more information. The current version of the ISBT 128 Standard Technical Specification is version 5.8.0.
An article from the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
states:
"ISBT 128, managed by ICCBBA, is the sole global standard for the identification and coding of MPHO. It supports global governance by providing a donation numbering system that ensures globally unique identification. It is built upon internationally agreed terminology published in the ISBT 128 Standard Terminology which is a publicly available document."
Specification
The ISBT 128 standard provides the specification for many of the elements of the information environment required in transfusion and transplantation. It contains definitions, reference tables, and data structures. Minimum requirements are also defined for delivery mechanisms and labeling. By complying with ISBT 128, collection and processing facilities can provide electronically readable information that can be read by any other compliant system.
ISBT 128 specifies:
* A donation numbering systems that ensures globally unique identification;
* The information to be transferred, using internationally agreed reference tables;
* An international product reference database;
* The data structures in which this information is placed;
* A bar coding system for transfer of the information on the product label;
* A standard layout for the product label;
* A standard reference for use in electronic messaging.
References
External links
"What is ISBT 128?" . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
{{transfusion medicine
Transfusion medicine