Purpose Statement
The Whole Blood feature must be configured before your agency can begin receiving, tracking, administering, or returning blood products. Configuration establishes the agency's temperature requirements, blood products and forms, signature requirements, and optional count schedules used throughout the Whole Blood workflow.
Important Note:
Whole Blood is a paid product upgrade. Agencies must work with First Due Implementation or Customer Success to add the feature to their contract and enabled it within their account.
Background Information
Whole Blood configuration is completed within the Medications module and consists of up to four setup components:
- Configure blood temperature settings.
- Create Whole Blood and/or Packed Red Blood Cell medication forms.
- Verify signature requirements.
- (Optional) Create Whole Blood count schedules.
The first three components are required to begin using the Whole Blood feature. Count schedules are only necessary if your agency requires routine inventory counts.
Once configuration is complete, these settings are used throughout Whole Blood receive, usage, return, and count workflows.
Required Permissions
Users configuring the Whole Blood feature must have the following permission:
- Whole Blood – Manage Setup
Depending on your agency's security model, administrative access to the Medications module may also be required.
Video
Step-by-Step Guide
Configure Whole Blood Temperature Thresholds
1. Navigate to Medications Setup
- Select the First Due logo.
- Navigate to Medications.
- Select Setup.
- Locate the Whole Blood section on the Settings page.
All Whole Blood configuration is completed from the Medications Setup area.
2. Select the Blood Temperature Unit
Temperature settings establish the acceptable temperature range for blood products and determine how temperatures are displayed throughout the Whole Blood feature.
Select one of the following temperature units:
- Fahrenheit
- Celsius
3. Enter Temperature Thresholds
- Enter the Minimum Temperature.
- Enter the Maximum Temperature.
- Select Save in the upper-right corner.
These settings apply whenever users document a:
- Receive Event
- Usage Event
- Return Event
If a recorded temperature falls outside the configured range, the system displays a validation warning before the transaction is completed.
Create Whole Blood Medication Forms
Medication Forms define how Whole Blood and Packed Red Blood Cell products are documented and tracked throughout the Medications module.
1. Add Medication Forms
- Navigate to the Medications > Setup > Medications section.
- Select Add Medication.
2. Enter Blood Product Details
- Select Medication Name to display the available medications.
Search by keyword or scroll to locate:
- Whole Blood
- Packed Red Blood Cells
- Configure the medication as needed:
- Mark the medication as a Controlled Substance if your agency requires controlled substance workflows.
- Enable Require Serial Number if users must record a unit or supplier serial number during transactions.
3. Configure Optional Medication Settings
Configure the medication as needed:
- Enable Controlled Substance if your agency requires controlled substance workflows.
- Enable Require Serial Number if users must record a supplier or unit identifier during transactions.
Important Note:
The Default Form field remains unavailable until at least one Blood Product Form has been created.
Continue to Step 4 – Configure the Product Form.
4. Configure the Product Form
Select Add Form.
After creating the medication, configure the Product Form that represents how the blood product will be tracked.
- Select the appropriate Form (for example, Bag).
- Enter the Dose.
- Select the Dose Unit.
- Most agencies use Unit when tracking blood.
- Enter the product Volume.
- Select the appropriate Volume Unit (for example, mL or Liter).
- Select Save.
5. Set Default Medication Form
If multiple Product Forms exist for the same medication, designate the appropriate Default Form.
The Default Form is automatically selected during Receive, Usage, and Return workflows.
Select Default Form to display the available Product Forms.
Select the desired Default Form.
Select Create to save the medication.
Repeat these steps for each Whole Blood or Packed Red Blood Cell product your agency intends to manage.
6. Manage Whole Blood Medication Forms
Use the available actions to maintain existing Whole Blood and Packed Red Blood Cell Medication Forms.
- Locate the applicable blood product and Medication Form in the list.
- Select the appropriate action:
- Edit — Select the pencil icon to update the Medication Form details.
- Deactivate or Activate — Select the X or activation icon to change whether the Medication Form is available for use.
- Delete — Select the trash can icon to permanently remove the Medication Form.
- To remove multiple items at once, select the checkboxes next to the applicable Medication Forms or medication names, then select the Bulk Delete trash can at the top of the list.
- Review the selected Medication Forms carefully before confirming deletion.
Use deactivation instead of deletion when the Medication Form should no longer be available for new workflows but may still need to remain in historical records.
Configure Whole Blood Signature Requirements
Whole Blood transactions use the signature configuration already established within the Medications module.
By default, Whole Blood is treated as a non-controlled substance and uses the organization's configured Non-Controlled Substance Signature requirements.
If a Whole Blood medication form is configured as a Controlled Substance, transactions instead follow the organization's Controlled Substance Signature requirements.
Review your existing signature configuration to verify:
- Required signer roles
- Required or optional signatures
- Signature validation method
- Signature only
- Signature and PIN
- User profile validation
Adjust signature settings as needed before users begin documenting Whole Blood transactions.
Create a Whole Blood Count Schedule (Optional)
If your agency performs scheduled Whole Blood inventory counts, create a count schedule.
1. Navigate to Count Scheduler
Select Add Schedule to create a new Count Schedule.
2. Configure Count Schedule Details
- Enter a descriptive Schedule Name.
- Select the Start Date.
- Enter the Due Time using a 24-hour (military) time format.
- The colon must be entered for the system to accept the Due Time.
Important Note:
The Custody Exchange option applies only to controlled substance narcotics and is not used for Whole Blood products.
3. Select the Schedule Type
Select the appropriate Schedule Type.
Configure the desired recurrence.
Tip:
For detailed information about available schedule types and recurrence options, see Medications Setup: Count Scheduler.
4. Assign to Whole Blood Med Kits
- Under Assigned To, select the applicable Whole Blood Med Kit or Med Kits.
Select Done to save the schedule.
Best Practices
- Configure temperature settings before creating blood products.
- Use consistent naming conventions for medication forms to simplify inventory management.
- Configure realistic minimum and maximum temperature thresholds based on your agency's storage requirements.
- Enable serial number tracking if your agency records supplier or unit identification numbers.
- Verify signature requirements before placing Whole Blood into service.
- Create count schedules only if your agency requires routine inventory verification.
- Review all medication forms after creation to ensure the correct default form is selected.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why don't I see the Whole Blood option when adding a medication?
Verify that the Whole Blood feature has been enabled for your agency through First Due Implementation or Customer Success and that you have the Whole Blood – Manage Setup permission.
Should I configure Whole Blood as a controlled substance?
Only if your agency's policies require Whole Blood to follow controlled substance workflows. Otherwise, Whole Blood follows the configured non-controlled substance signature requirements.
What happens if a user enters a temperature outside the configured range?
The system displays a validation warning during the transaction so the user is aware the recorded temperature falls outside the acceptable range.
Can I create multiple forms for the same blood product?
Yes. You can create multiple forms for a medication and designate one as the default form used during Whole Blood transactions.
Do I need to create a count schedule?
No. Count schedules are optional and should only be configured if your agency requires scheduled Whole Blood inventory counts.
Does the Custody Exchange option apply to Whole Blood?
No. Custody Exchange is used for controlled substance narcotics and does not apply to Whole Blood count schedules.