Mistake proofing Blood Types...?

How do doctors and nurses ensure that they do not give a person the wrong blood type during surgical procedures?

Procedures vary, but at most hospitals, the patient wears a wristband with their blood type. Every unit of blood is compared to the band by two members of the surgical team.

The site below shows a sample procedure for a transfusion. It is a bit different when the patient is anesthetized.

Aloha

They check your blood type by running a test on it. I am not really sure how the test works but I would guess a chemical reacts with the A or B protien in the blood, same with RH factor.

They do type and crossmatch tests with blood work, they can also get your blood type through a pt/ptt test. They then take it to the lab, analyze it and give you the blood accordingly. If you are O neg, O pos you can recieve O blood or O neg- any kind of blood... when it comes to the ab a b and negatives, it is a little tricky.. but they usually don't screw up blood typing!

they do what's called a type and crossmatch. the lab types the blood, it is A, B, AB, or O. then they do it again and crossmatch. You must check the patients chart, id band and the blood itself three separate times before administering it.

They have to type you before any major surgery because of blood loss. I remember before they put me under the first time I had surgery, the nurse came back saying, be positive. I thought she was giving me a reassurance, but it turned out that B+ is my blood type. Anyway, anytime I have surgery now, the docter has me to come in a day or two earlier to draw my blood. For some reason, their supply of B+ blood is always low.
It has however given me the reassurance that I'm getting my own blood. If you are worried about them mismatching your blood type, why don't you ask your docter about drawing your own, and placing it in reserve for just you?