Managing Transfusion Service Quality

Abstract

N Context.-Providing blood products for transfusions is a complex process subject to errors both within and outside the transfusion service. Transfusion-related errors can have grave consequences for the patient undergoing transfusion. As with many processes performed within health care systems, there is an expectation of error-free practice. Although this is an unobtainable goal, a focused qualitymanagement plan, employing a medical event reporting system in a just working environment, can effect measurable system-quality improvement.Objective.-To illustrate the intrinsic value of qualityimprovement activities through discussion of examples of quality misadventures from our transfusion service during the past 20 years. Data Sources.-Examples of quality-improvement activities were extracted from our quality-system archives. The published literature on transfusion quality was reviewed.Conclusions.-Active reporting, structured investigation, and systematic resolution of transfusion-related errors are effective methods for improving and maintaining transfusion quality.

Quality of Transfusion Products in Blood Banking

“…The quality assurance must cover all aspects of transfusion, including donor selection, blood collection, processing, storage, and transfusion. [1][2][3][4] The key role of quality in the transfusion system is well reflected in the standards of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) 5 and the Italian Society of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology (SIMTI). 6 On the contrary, the adoption of a quality assurance program is mandatory and regulated by the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States 7 and, in Europe, by the Directives 2002/98/EC and 2005/62/EC of the European Parliament, which must be adopted by all member states.…”