Benchmarking: applications to transfusion medicine

Abstract

Benchmarking is ‘a structured, continuous, collaborative process in which comparisons for selected indicators are used to identify factors which when implemented will improve transfusion practices’. In the Transfusion Medicine literature, there are only a few published articles that meet the criteria for benchmarking: (1) using comparisons between institutions to identify practice variation; (2) using a communication and/or evaluation process to identify factors associated with best practices; (3) introduce best practice factors into one's own setting; and (4) re‐evaluate performance. Three models for benchmarking have been proposed: (1) a regional benchmarking programme that collects and links relevant data from existing electronic sources; (2) a sentinel site model where data from a limited number of sites are collected; and (3) an institutional‐initiated model where a site identifies indicators of interest and approach other institutions as comparators. Finland has the most well‐developed benchmarking model where hospital data are collected electronically from multiple sources and analysed centrally with web‐based reports available for participants. Areas of practice variation are explored in annual benchmarking workshops, interventions are identified and implemented, and the impact of the interventions are evaluated at a later date. A provincial model used in Canada will also be described showing the impact on red cell outdating when hospitals were challenged to meet evidence based targets. Limitations of benchmarking and future research will be discussed.

Managing donors and donation sessions to improve donor service and session productivity

“…E-mail: eeva.nyberg@gmail.com balancing increasing donor expectations with higher productivity targets. This article aims: (1) to show best practices from different blood services; (2) to highlight differences in European blood collection processes; and (3) to identify a set of KPIs that could be of value for blood services interested in improving and optimizing their blood collection process. This model of benchmarking depicted in Fig.…”

“…This model of benchmarking depicted in Fig. 1, is similar to that introduced by Heddle in the context of transfusion services [1].…”

A benchmarking program to reduce red blood cell outdating: implementation, evaluation, and a conceptual framework

“…This ensured the validity of the original factors associated with RBC outdating and investigated if any other factors were potentially significant based on accumulated data. At each checkpoint, the significant factors associated with RBC outdating remained the same in models based on term data and accumulated data. All analyses were performed using computer software (SAS 9.2, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) .…”

“…At each checkpoint, the significant factors associated with RBC outdating remained the same in models based on term data and accumulated data. All analyses were performed using computer software (SAS 9.2, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) . Each time a new set of benchmark targets was released to participating hospitals, they also received a personalized report summarizing utilization and outdating at their site.…”

“…All analyses were performed using computer software (SAS 9.2, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC). 11 Each time a new set of benchmark targets was released to participating hospitals, they also received a personalized report summarizing utilization and outdating at their site.…”