Our computer system does the same.  It prints patient name, surgical number
and block numbers on the slides.   It also prints our hospital name. It has
really cut down on labeling errors and slide filing errors to have both the
name and surgical number on the slides.    For special stains and IHC it
also prints the stain name on the patient slides.     I can also print the
control labels with the case numbers, but on these slides, no patient name
is printed.
Hazel

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Weems, Joyce [SMTP:JWEEMS@sjha.org]
> Sent:	Friday, February 23, 2001 7:23 AM
> To:	'Lee & Peggy Wenk'; Histonet
> Subject:	RE: PATIENT NAMES ON SLIDES
> 
> Our computer system prints names and numbers on the slide. It is a good
> way
> to double check.
> 
> Joyce Weems
> Pathology Manager
> Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta
> 
> 
> 	-----Original Message-----
> 	From:	Lee & Peggy Wenk [SMTP:lpwenk@mail.netquest.com]
> 	Sent:	Friday, February 23, 2001 5:40 AM
> 	To:	Histonet
> 	Subject:	PATIENT NAMES ON SLIDES
> 
> 	Hearing of a trend of printing the patient's names along with their
> surgical
> 	number on the slide label , and want to know Hectometer's opinion.
> 
> 	I've been in the field 20+ years. In all that time, I've been told
> we deal
> 	with ONLYsurgical numbers, not names, once the tissue has been
> assigned a
> 	number, because:
> 	1. Less likely to confuse numbers than names, especially if two
> specimens
> 	come down with the same or similar numbers.
> 	2. Confidentiality.
> 
> 	Now, I'm hearing (and seeing) patients' names being printed on the
> slide
> 	label, along with the surgical number, institution name, and stain
> name.
> 
> 	I've been told this is part of QC in many places, to make certain
> that the
> 	name and the surgical number correlate when the pathologists are
> dictating
> 	their findings, or when slides are being sent out for consultation
> or at the
> 	request of the patient.
> 
> 	Anyone out there printing the names on the slides?
> 
> 	Has there been any comments about confidentiality?
> 
> 	Thanks in advance for your input.
> 
> 	Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)
> 
> 
>