Current status of JACIE accreditation in Europe: a special report from the Joint Accreditation Committee of the ISCT and the EBMT (JACIE)

Abstract

JACIE (Joint Accreditation Committee of the ISCT and the EBMT) launched its first official inspection programme in January 2004. Since then, 35 centres in Europe have been inspected. Almost all were found to be functioning at a high level of excellence, with the majority having only minor deficiencies in compliance with the standards. In one-third of centres there were more significant deficiencies. The most common deficiencies were in quality management, and a survey of the applicant centres confirmed this was the area where centres experienced most difficulty in preparation for accreditation. Following correction of deficiencies, 28 centres have at the time of writing achieved full accreditation. Implementation of JACIE required a significant investment of time and resources by applicant centres. The majority required at least 18 months to prepare for accreditation and 85% needed to employ a quality manager and/or data manager on an ongoing basis. However, all centres felt their programme had benefited from the implementation of JACIE. In addition to the inspection and accreditation of individual centres, JACIE maintains an educational programme including training courses for inspectors and for centre preparation. JACIE is also working closely with other international organisations working in cellular therapy to develop international standards for all aspects of stem cell transplant. IntroductionJACIE is a nonprofit body established for the purposes of assessment and accreditation in the field of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The committee was founded in 1998 by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), the two leading scientific organisations involved with HSCT in Europe. JACIE modelled itself on the US-based Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), established in 1996 by the ISCT and the American society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT). JACIE actively collaborates with FACT in establishing standards for the provision of quality medical and laboratory practice in HSCT. JACIE conducts inspections, accredits programmes and encourages health institutions and facilities performing HSCT to meet these standards voluntarily in order to demonstrate their high levels of quality of care. The current organisation of JACIE is shown in Figure 1. The structure ensures wide consultation, with 20 European countries now represented on the Board in addition to nursing, paediatrics and cord-blood representatives.The primary aim of JACIE is to improve the quality of HSCT in Europe by providing a means whereby transplant centres, cell collection facilities and processing facilities can demonstrate high-quality practice. This is supported by coordinating training courses in quality management for applicant centres and courses for inspectors. An additional and wider aim is to ensure harmonisation between JACIE standards and other national/international standards, including the EU Tissues & Cells Direc...

The impact of the age of HLA-identical siblings on mobilization and collection of PBSCs for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

“…33 In conclusion, an increasing age of matched related siblings does not preclude successful mobilization and collection of HPC, and seems to have no negative impact on both subsequent engraftment and the incidence of acute as well as chronic GVHD in the recipient. For the first time, we describe a higher NK-cell count encountered in grafts from elderly donors.…”

Severe events in donors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell donation

“…With the increasing age of the recipients of HSCT, the number of older family donors with co-morbidities will increase. Efforts to improve training, safety and quality control systems by implementing the Joint Accreditation Committee-ISCT & EBMT (JACIE) 29 accreditation process (www.jacie.org) will further safeguard against errors but cannot prevent all of them. Harvest centers need to know about potential complications, need to inform donors about their risks and establish policies for insurance cover for donors and their families in the case of an event.…”

JACIE accreditation in paediatric haemopoietic SCT

“…2 JACIE modelled itself on the US-based Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) established in 1996 by the ISCT and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT). JACIE actively collaborates with FACT in establishing standards for the provision of quality medical and laboratory practice.…”