Matching blood types

[jsinger]

Hi,

I'm trying to set up an application that matches blood donors with patients according to blood type.
It's easy to match up blood type A donors to blood type A patients. (3 tables: donors, patients, blood type)


However - type A donors can donate blood not only to type A patients, but also to type AB patients. Type O donors can donate to A, B, AB, or O. And so on.
Any ideas how I can build this into a database?
TIA

[orange]

First you have to create an algorithm to match the logic in your post. Have you built a sample with pencil and paper to verify/test/validate your logic?
There is an old adage in database/IT ---If you can't define it, nobody can program/build it. Applies here.

Eg: If DonorBT is type "A" Then
Patient may be "A" or "AB"
.......

tblDonor
DonorID
DonorName
DonorBT

tblPatient
PatientID
PatientName
PatientBT
OtherPatientInfo

tblValidBTCombos
ValidBTID
DonorBT
PatientBT


This table would have records such as:

1,A,A                     Donor Type A can donate to Patient Type A
2,A,AB                    Donor Type A can donate to Patient Type AB
3,O,A
3,O,B
3,O,AB
3,O,O

[jsinger]

Great, thanks, but can you help me define the relationships?

[orange]

Can you supply a few of the business rules involved?
What are the specifications/instructions for this?
Who wants this database? What di d they give you for instructions/requirements?

[jsinger]

Just volunteering to help out a non-profit blood bank. Nothing special.

[orange]

I'm trying to set up an application that matches blood donors with patients according to blood type.

What is your plan of attack? What exactly will your application do?

[June7]

Need a lookup table with records that associate Donee/Donor blood types.
Here is example, for whole blood (apparently red cells and plasma can be different http://www.bloodbook.com/compat.html)

Donee	Donor
O+	O+
O+	O-
O-	O-
A+	A+
A+	A-
A-	A-
B+	B+
B+	B-
B-	B-
AB+	AB+
AB+	AB-
AB-	AB-

Now can search either column to locate associated types. If table is too restrictive by including +/-, adjust as appropriate.

If you want to connect people, then have a table for people with their blood types. Suggest a single table because people can be donor or donee. Build a query that includes the People table twice, 1 each linked to fields of the Types table. Apply filter for a specific Donee to see people who can be Donors.

If you are not matching people directly but instead need to match patient request with units in inventory, I expect another table will be involved. How does your bank operate - do you receive requests from hospitals for blood? Do you track patient info or just get a generic RequestID? I presume you do have personal details about donors on record. Maybe more appropriate tables would be:

tblTypes

tblDonors

tblInventory

tblRequests

[jsinger]

Very helpful! Thanks so much.