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BLOOD PRODUCT WASTAGE - QT4
QT4

Blood for transfusion is a precious resource. At a minimum, wastage of blood that is not out-of-date represents a financial loss to the health care system. More ominously, systemic wastage of blood may reflect an environment of care that is out of control and could pose risks to patient safety.

Enrollment in this program assists laboratories meet regulatory requirements as follow:

  • CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program Checklist statements: TRM.40875 that requires the transfusion service medical director to monitor and audit transfusion practices to ensure the appropriate use of blood, TRM.30800, Disposition Records, and TRM.32275, Component Records, regarding recording use of each blood or component product from receipt to final disposition.
  • The Joint Commission Standards QSA.05.02.01, adequate blood and blood components, QSA.05.03.03, requirements for policies and procedures for returning unused blood products to blood transfusion services, and QSA.05.22.01, records of blood product disposition.
  • AABB Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services assessment 8.2 that requires transfusing facilities to have a peer-review program that monitors transfusion practices for blood components.


Objective

Compare the rates of blood product wastage (ie, units discarded in-date) in participating hospitals and track rates of improvement over time.

Data Collection

On a monthly basis, participants will use blood bank records to obtain information on the total number of units transfused for each type of blood component. Participants will track the number and type of blood units that are wasted in-date and the circumstances of wastage. This monitor includes the following types of blood and its components: whole blood cells (allogeneic), red blood cells (allogeneic), frozen plasma, platelet concentrates, single donor platelets, and cryoprecipitate.

Performance Indicators

  • Overall blood wastage rate (%)
  • Wastage rates by blood component type (%)

Performance Breakdown

  • Breakdown of circumstances of wastage (%)

Shipping Schedule

  • Shipment A: December 4, 2023
  • Shipment B: March 11, 2024
  • Shipment C: June 10, 2024
  • Shipment D: September 9, 2024

Additional Information

Participants in this program receive:

  • User Guide
  • Templates and instructions for data collection
  • Quarterly reports that include fingerprint clusters, customer-defined groups, and all institution comparisons
  • Peer directory

Quality Management Tools activities meet the American Board of Pathology MOC Part IV Practice Performance Assessment requirements.

For Comprehensive Collection of Tools, see Quality Management Tools.


 
Select Q-PROBES and Q-TRACKS studies to support your quality improvement initiatives.
Preanalytic
Analytic
Postanalytic
Anatomic Pathology
Clinical Pathology
Turnaround Time
Patient Safety
Microbiology
Transfusion Medicine
Chemistry/ Hematology
Customer Satisfaction
Q-PROBES
Non-Physician Care Team Satisfaction With Clinical Laboratory Services (QP231)
Technical Competency Assessment of Body Fluid Review (QPB10)
Technical Competency Assessment of Peripheral Blood Smears (QPC10/QPC25)
Technical Competency Assessment of Gram Stains (QPD10/QPD25)
Q-TRACKS
Patient Identification Accuracy (QT1)
Blood Culture Contamination (QT2)
Laboratory Specimen Acceptability (QT3)
In-Date Blood Product Wastage (QT4)
Gynecologic Cytology Outcomes: Biopsy Correlation Performance (QT5)
Satisfaction with Outpatient Specimen Collection (QT7)
Stat Test Turnaround Time Outliers (QT8)
Critical Values Reporting (QT10)
Troponin Turnaround Times (QT15)
Corrected Results (QT16)
Outpatient Order Entry Errors (QT17)

*The CAP requires accredited laboratories to have a quality management plan that covers all areas of the laboratory and includes benchmarking key measures of laboratory performance (GEN.13806, GEN.20316, COM.04000). The Joint Commission requires accredited hospitals to regularly collect and analyze performance data (PI.01.01.01, PI.02.01.01). CLIA requires laboratories to monitor, assess, and correct problems identified in preanalytic, analytic, and postanalytic systems (§493.1249, §493.1289, §493.1299).