For years Nev’s Ink has supplied blood banks around the country with ABO/Rh labels and blank label stocks to help their operations run smoothly and efficiently. We are proud to announce that we also supply 600 DPI pre-printed donation identification number (DIN) label sets! These label sets are used to accurately label and identify blood samples at the time of donation.
Simply looking at a DIN label you would not think it to be very complex. However, DIN labels must be extremely durable in order to meet demanding application requirements of hospitals and blood centers. Not only must these labels withstand temperature changes that come with cryogenic freezer storage and heated incubation, but they also must be chemical resistant. The adhesive we use adheres the label securely to the filled bag and stays put in all of these environments.
Although it is extremely important that these labels are durable, the imprinted barcode is even more crucial. The DIN is the 13 character unique sequence, which identifies any donation or harvest event worldwide. This DIN is the same on the concurrent plasma, Apheresis and HPC bags from the same harvest, which is why DIN labels are printed in a set.
The 13 character unique DIN is not a random collection of numbers. The first 5 characters in a DIN represent the Facility ID Number, which identifies the collection facility. This number can be found by using the lookup tool available on the ICCBBA website. The next two numbers represent the year. After that you will see a string of 6 sequential numbers that can be restarted every year (not recommended to be sequential from year to year). These 13 characters make up each unique DIN that you see. You may also see a two digit Flag printed vertically to allow for optional processing control, however this is not mandatory. If this scheme is not in use the default value is 00. Lastly, the Check Character is used when/if the DIN is entered manually into a computer system to ensure the data is accurate. A Quick Check character calculator is also available from the ICCBBA.
So why are all of these features so crucial? Well, if the label does not perform to expectations it could result in a wasted harvest, wasted time and resources, and worst case, errors could result in the death of a patient.
At Nev’s Ink we know labels. For 31 years healthcare professionals around the country have trusted and relied on our product not only to work, but also to make their work easier. Contact Nev’s Ink today to get a quote on your DIN labels and all other labeling solutions!
