[Computer assisted prescription of labile blood products: What are we expecting?]

Computer assisted prescription of labile blood products is just at its beginning. Current programs already allow embedding automatically such data as patient's and prescribers' identification or ward details to produce readable prescriptions, also complying with part of Good Practice guidelines. Now prescriptions can also be sent electronically to the Etablissement Francais du Sang, the French blood products services. Usually they are computer programs specialised in transfusion and interfaced with the main patient's file software. Hardly ever the main software is able to manage transfusion itself. Next step would consist in performing checks, calculations or displaying warning or help messages based on academic or local medical recommendations or even tailored to pre-defined individual requirements. But these call for direct access to patient's data such as diagnosis or tests results, that must be accurately classified and coded before use. The main software could provide such functionalities: but actually that would be infrequent and difficult to transpose from one hospital to the other, regarding to the diversity of main software and their settings. Another solution would be to enhance the very few transfusion specialised programs in order to assist prescribers. Data could be prepared and sent by the main software according to a standardised format each time a prescription is to be entered. This standardised format should be independent from software in order to ensure interoperability, whatever the main and specialised programs. The content and format of this data exchange has to be defined, but this would allow hundreds of hospitals to provide a comprehensive tool for prescription of labile blood products, regardless of their main patient's file software.