An AABB White Paper

Building a Better Patient Blood

Management Program
Identifying Tools, Solving Problems and
Promoting Patient Safety

APRIL 2015
AABB
8101 Glenbrook Road
Bethesda, MD 20814-2749

Copyright © 2015 AABB

This white paper is provided for educational purposes only and should not be
relied upon for clinical advice. AABB will not be responsible or liable for any errors,
omissions or consequences arising from use of the white paper’s content. This
white paper may not be reprinted or modified in any way without the express
written permission of AABB.
 Table of Contents

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Building the Business Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Transfusion Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities: The Saskatoon Experience . . . . 7

Taking Advantage of Transfusions Committee Resources . . . . . . . . 10

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015
 Getting Started:
How to Build a Successful Patient Blood Management Program
Executive Summary

A successful patient blood management (PBM) program, PBM program clinical champions can face resistance from
grounded in evidence-based medicine, optimizes patient fellow clinicians, as well as resistance stemming from a
safety and outcomes through measurable improvements. hospital’s “culture.” Providing education, creating enthusiasm,
A PBM program also can result in hospital-wide cost and engaging and empowering staff can drive success in
savings. However, the creation and implementation of a overcoming hesitance. Often a successful program starts with
comprehensive PBM program requires an investment in the small but achievable PBM quality improvement projects that
right mix of resources — including support at the highest can provide evidence of improved patient outcomes or cost
levels, clinical leadership and staff education. While no two savings in order to secure the resource commitment for a
institutions are alike, there are many common challenges to more comprehensive, formal program. Securing resources is
overcome. This white paper is intended to help health care a key component of PBM program implementation because
professionals demonstrate the tremendous benefits from PBM successful programs require dedicated personnel. Innovative
programs, identify and understand hindrances to creating and successful solutions from one PBM program included

“
programs and provide solutions from experts who have here provide real-life examples of how to turn limitations into
successfully implemented PBM programs. opportunities.

Planning, implementation and maintenance of blood

management program components are an important but
The critical first step in complex set of tasks that can be achieved with the help of
the transfusion committee. The transfusion committee can
starting a program is to enlist support programs by providing oversight, such as monitoring
clinical champions who can build practices; creating auditing criteria and transfusion policies;
tracking quality indicators; and reviewing adverse events.
a strong case for educating
hospital leadership about
the patient care benefits of the
program, highlighting improved
patient outcomes.
“ Improved patient outcomes lie at the heart of PBM. There
is growing evidence to support the effectiveness of this
multidisciplinary clinical approach to achieving measurable
improvements in the care of patients who may need a
transfusion. Studies have shown reductions in length of stay,
incidence of infection and re-admission rates for postoperative
complications in patients not receiving transfusions.1,2 PBM
also can optimize the use of blood and blood products, which
can translate to hospital-wide cost savings. The benefits of a
The critical first step in starting a program is to enlist clinical
PBM program fit neatly in the “Triple Aim” — improving the
champions who can build a strong case for educating hospital
care experience, improving the health of populations and
leadership about the patient care benefits of the program,
reducing per capita costs of health care. Some useful tools to
highlighting improved patient outcomes. Developing a clear
overcome common program startup problems are outlined in
business case for a program is a necessary step, and doing
this document. The information is key to the development of
so provides an early opportunity to build interdepartmental
a robust PBM program that will grow to become an important
consensus around the goals of the program. Because clinicians
foundation in patient care at facilities and within systems
and administrators may not always speak the same language,
worldwide.
the business plan should be written in a format and use
language that decision-makers understand and should contain
a number of required elements.

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 1
Introduction
Transfusion of blood and blood products is one of the most allogeneic blood transfusions and reduce health care costs,
frequently performed procedures during hospitalizations.3 while ensuring that blood components are available for the
However, with a growing evidence base supporting the use patients who need them.
of restrictive transfusion strategies, PBM has emerged as an
The principal goal of a PBM program is to optimize patient
evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach to optimizing the
care by taking steps to reduce the probability of transfusion. A
care of patients who may need a transfusion.
successful program involves:
Clinical research has demonstrated that a restrictive
n Increasing awareness of evidence-based guidelines;
transfusion strategy results in patient outcomes similar
n Reducing the likelihood of peri-operative transfusion;
to those associated with more liberal strategies and may
n Minimizing blood loss;
even improve outcomes.4,5,6 At the same time, retrospective
n Improving blood utilization;
studies have suggested an association between transfusions
n Continuously educating clinicians; and
and patient morbidity — increased hospital-acquired
n Standardizing clinical PBM-related metrics.
infections and length of stay. In economic terms, unnecessary

“
transfusions have been shown to translate to poor use of Despite the demonstrated benefits of PBM, those trying to
resources and increased costs.7 initiate a program often encounter common challenges.
Many physicians who order blood may not be familiar with
indications for transfusions or with alternative treatments

PBM encompasses all aspects of

patient evaluation and clinical
management surrounding the
“ designed to reduce the likelihood that a patient may require a
transfusion. A culture of status quo can pervade institutions —
reinforced through privileges, procedures, information systems
and long-standing practice — that makes the adoption of
better blood utilization practices challenging. Even when
institutional change takes root, altering the habits of individual
decision-making process. practitioners can take time and education.

By anticipating these challenges, PBM advocates can be ready

to address these challenges as they arise. It’s not possible to
PBM encompasses all aspects of patient evaluation and clinical foresee all obstacles. However some, such as limited funding,
management surrounding the transfusion decision-making staff and other resources, come up time and again.
process, including the optimization of patient red blood cell
volume, the application of appropriate indications and the
minimization of blood loss. PBM can reduce the need for

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 2
Building the Business Case for a PBM Program
A business case is essentially a tool for program planning highlight the benefits and note the risks of not undertaking
and for communicating constraints and other important the program. A successful executive summary can require
operational parameters. Clinicians and administrators don’t almost as much time and effort as the entire plan. While the

“
always speak the same language, but a business case allows executive summary is the first section to be read, it should be
for the development of a common understanding around the written last, in order to include all pertinent information.
purpose of the PBM program. The business case for a PBM
program provides leadership with sufficient information about
the patient safety, quality and financial benefits of a program
to drive a decision. Hospital decision-makers evaluate and
must choose from many worthy projects vying for limited
resources. A well-crafted PBM business case is an increasingly
The problem statement or
mission statement clearly defines the
“
important means for clinical champions to advocate for issues, needs and opportunities.
transfusion-related quality of care and patient safety. It’s also
an opportunity for clinicians and administrators to brainstorm
and encourage innovation. Problem Statement or Mission Statement
A business case for a program is a reasonable expectation The problem statement or mission statement clearly defines
and necessary step in advancing the adoption of blood the issues, needs and opportunities. It’s the “why.” Facilities
management principles. Producing one can seem a and systems continually strive to improve patient safety and
challenging task to clinicians and other stakeholders. It doesn’t quality of care. A PBM program provides evidence-based
have to be though; a business case follows a standard format, decision-making tools to achieve those goals for transfusion
and in-house experts on finance, project management, quality, medicine. However, programs provide economic benefits
risk management and data management can help. While as well. Your own organization has a mission statement that
sufficient detail is needed for decision-making, the business should be tied directly to the program.
case should be limited to pertinent facts.
Objectives or Expected Benefits
At its core a business case addresses five basic questions.
The business case should include specific, measurable goals
n What is a PBM program? for the program that will benefit the patients and the hospital.
n What is the rationale for a PBM program? Baseline data should be included in the business case because
n Who needs to be educated; i.e., who are it both provides a means to measure how well the program
the key stakeholders? meets goals and demonstrates commitment to data-driven
n What actions are required? reporting. Also, the current state of various measures can
n What are the costs and benefits? help to identify existing gaps that can become program
improvement targets. Some baseline measures data should be
What follows is a discussion of the basic elements of a business available to you and can come from a number of sources:
case, which can be tailored to position a proposed PBM
program in the best possible light. n Medical record reviews;
n Third-party gap assessments;
Executive Summary n Internal or external benchmarking data;
n Blood bank inventory management;
The executive summary is considered to be the most
n Financial systems (e.g., patient billing and budget);
important part of any business case because it’s the first
n Patient morbidity and mortality data; and
section — and often the only section — that will be read.
n Observations or supportive statements from key
Therefore, the executive summary has to be compelling.
stakeholders.
Brevity is key. In one to two pages, an executive summary
should succinctly state the problem, propose a solution,

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 3
Even when data are not available, it is still important to spell Risks and Mitigation
out the goals of the program and how these will be evaluated.
A business case includes a thoughtful discussion of the risks
Consider including testimonials from key individuals within
and potential challenges of program implementation. Offer
the hospital organization (e.g., chief medical or chief nursing
reasonable mechanisms to meet challenges. Consider using
officer). Such testimony can demonstrate broad early support
a “SWOT” analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
for a program.
and Threats), which is one way to organize these ideas in a

“
standardized language. Also, consider identifying internal
Preferred Approach and Alternatives stakeholders who can support program implementation risks.
This section should contain a description of the solution best
suited to meet the program’s objectives. It should include a
moderate level of detail. It’s important to include a discussion
of two to three alternative approaches and reasons why A project plan lists major
the selected solution is preferred. Including a discussion of
activities and required staff
alternatives demonstrates due diligence and provides a means
to preempt reasonable objections. For example, will the
program use internal resources only, or require a combination
of internal and external resources over time?

Performance and Progress Measures

resources and provides a timeline
with milestones. It’s a good-faith
estimate of program requirements
“
A number of benchmarking databases exist that allow and deliverables.
comparisons of PBM metrics with member hospitals
nationwide or with other similarly sized hospitals. This
information can reveal blood management shortcomings Project Plan and Timeline
and identify opportunities for savings. In some cases,
A project plan lists major activities and required staff resources
benchmarking information may have already been presented
and provides a timeline with milestones. It’s a good-faith
to hospital leadership. In any case, such benchmarking data
estimate of program requirements and deliverables. Quality
may be helpful in the process of identifying areas for early
management staff can be an important resource to enlist
targeted small projects. Measurable improvements in pilot
when developing a formal project plan. These experts often
activities can drive additional investment. Even when baseline
have project management experience, are familiar with
data are not available, include an explanation of the metrics
program design and can help identify the data necessary for
that will be used to measure the performance of the program
the PBM program business case.
going forward. Important PBM metrics include:
Timelines should reflect the length of time expected to
n Overall transfusion rate compared with that of
be needed to implement a PBM program. In the best-
comparably sized hospitals;
case scenario, the time frame from initial concept to full
n Transfusion rates for specific cases (e.g., hip replacement,
implementation of a comprehensive PBM program may
cardiac surgery) compared to national data or data from
take two to three years. The timeline should encompass this
literature;
“program build” period and include major milestones. The
n Percentage of transfusions that fall outside of hospital or
timeline should be more specific early in the implementation
professional transfusion guidelines;8
process — the first six months — and can be less so with
n Transfusion administration compliance;
time. Gantt charts (a type of bar charts) are commonly used
n Transfusion reaction rates; and
to illustrate major milestones and the start and finish dates of
n Budget (inventory, supply costs, product).
project deliverables.

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 4
Cost Estimates and Funding Sources starting a program requires an initial outlay; this can be a
difficult argument to make. Programs can start small though
Two of the more common questions about a business case
and, therefore, require less of an initial outlay.
are “How much will this cost?” and “Where will the funding
come from?” A reasonably detailed program budget is a
Return on investment (ROI) is a commonly used measure of an
fundamental element of a business case. Seek assistance from
investment’s efficiency. It’s the ratio of the net gain from an
a colleague with financial expertise or seek assistance from
investment to the cost of the investment:
your organization’s decision support team, which is typically
housed within the finance department. This could be a quality
manager with finance experience or a colleague in the finance (Gain from investment – Cost of investment)
department. Essentially, a budget can be broken down into ROI = ____________________________
initial project costs — such as personnel salary, equipment Cost of investment
needs and any outside resources — and ongoing project costs.
Ongoing project costs should be provided by year. PBM- Some hospitals may use an ROI threshold — a 10 percent ROI
related cost savings estimates also should be included and for example — to evaluate program investments. In other
can be categorized as “hard” or “soft.” Hard costs are tangible words, does this investment provide a “payback”?
and include the costs of blood products and blood wastage,
etc. Soft costs include nursing and lab technician labor, and Consider starting with relatively simple steps that provide
supplies to dispense and administer blood products. Soft costs a reasonable ROI, such as instituting and/or updating
also include expenses associated with adverse events. (See the transfusion guidelines, instituting and enforcing blood orders
Transfusion Economics section for a more detailed discussion and creating reports to understand patterns of blood usage.
of costs.)

Finding funding sources is a perennial challenge. Health- Opposing Arguments and Responses
care and hospital resources are limited and under increasing Objections and opposition to a PBM program should be
external pressure. However, there are alternative sources to expected. A good business case should anticipate common
consider. Explore the possibility of available grants. There also objections and counter them. Competing priorities and
may be other operational funding sources that can be used to time and resource constraints are common and reasonable
start a program. Importantly, programs often can start with a concerns. Offer possible solutions to mitigate these objections.
small investment. Estimated cost savings resulting from a PBM A number of books and Internet sources provide resources for
program can be another reasonable way to fund a program. responding to objections to any type of program.
However, because savings are considered future funding,

Transfusion Economics
Timothy Hannon, MD, MBA, likens transfusion costs to an Transfusion-associated costs include the cost of labor,
iceberg. Hard costs represent the tip of the iceberg and soft processing and supplies to store, test, administer and monitor
costs — labor, supplies, overhead and adverse event costs blood products. These are called direct variable costs, which
— comprise its bulk.9 The blood bank supervisor can provide can be and have been quantified. In 2010, Shander et al.10
current blood costs, which account for 1 to 2 percent of a estimated per unit cost of red blood cells (RBCs) at four
total hospital budget, says Hannon. However, even that small hospitals using the method developed through the Cost of
percentage of a large budget translates into a significant Blood Consensus Conference (COBCON). This method accounts
amount of money. Hannon was instrumental in building for the major process steps, staff and consumables required to
the blood management program at St. Vincent Hospital in provide RBC transfusions to surgical patients, including direct
Indianapolis. and indirect overhead costs. They estimated that total RBC unit

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 5
costs were 3.2- to 4.8-fold greater than the cost of blood product $ 1,618,780
acquisition. In addition, the costs of acquiring RBCs accounted
$ 657,394 | 40.6% $ 338,509 | 20.9%
for only 21 to 32 percent of transfusion-related expenditures.

However, this analysis did not account for adverse event costs, $ 10,692 | 0.7%

such as hospital-acquired infections, increased length of stay

and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). Adverse event $ 191,318 | 11.8%

costs are likely the greatest costs in the transfusion cost iceberg,
said Hannon. It is very important to note that these costs are $ 191,796 | 11.9%
$ 76,924 | 4.8% $ 18,621 | 1.2%
incremental and avoidable through safer transfusion care. In a $ 5,150 | 0.3%
$ 5,594 | 0.3%
2012 study,11 researchers used data from the National Surgical $ 14,300 | 0.9%
$ 107,481 | 6.6%

Quality Improvement Program to examine adverse events EHMC

related to RBC transfusion and the dose-response relationship.
$ 6,030,589
In the study, one unit of RBCs increased wound complications
by four percent and increased length of stay by 1.5 days. The $ 2,472,509 | 41.0% $ 1,689,995 | 28.0%

researchers also found a 0.9 percent increase in propensity-

adjusted mortality. The unadjusted mortality and composite
morbidity rates increased with increasing number of transfused
units. Risk managers at your hospital can be excellent resources $ 24,386 | 0.4%

and allies in explaining the benefits of reducing adverse events. $ 283,355 | 4.7%

$ 495,052 | 8.2%
$ 164,314 | 2.7%
$ 150,614 | 2.5%
$ 1,403 | 0.0%
$ 45,792 | 0.8%
Figure 1: $ 68,250 | 1.1% $ 634,917 | 10.5%

Activity-based Costs of Blood RIH

Transfusions in Surgical Patients $ 3,566,551

at Four Hospitals $ 1,129,854 | 31.7%

$ 1,176,902 | 33.0%

Legend

$ 44,082 | 1.2%
$ 9,740 | 0.3%
$ 1,469 | 0.0% $ 106,447 | 3.0%
$ 75,871 | 2.1%
$ 479,439 | 13.4%

$ 504,489 | 14 . 2% $ 0 | 0.0%
$ 37,889 | 1.1%

CHUV

$ 3,190,604

$ 1,022,338 | 32.0% $ 938,796 | 29.4%

AKH General Hospital Linz

CHUV Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
EHMC Englewood Hospital Medical Center $ 0 | 0.0%
RIH Rhode Island Hospital $ 5,081 | 0.2%
Product acqusition cost ■
■ Hospital blood bank supply management $ 222,883 | 7.0%
$ 167 | 0.0%
$ 77,328 | 2.4% ■ Pre-transfusion processes
$ 531,267 | 16.7%
■ Patient
$ 375,462 | 11.8% blood testing
$ 0 | processes
0.0%

■ Transfusion-specific
$ 17,280 | 0.5% consent
■ Issuing & delivering componentsAKH
from blood banks
■ Administering & monitoring transfusions
Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program
■ Managing reactions &An
_____________
acute transfusion AABB White Paper © 2015
hemovigilance | 6
■ Post-transfusion logistics
■ Direct overhead
 $1,400 –
Figure 2: Legend
$1,183.32
Activity-based Costs of Mean acquisition costs per unit of blood
1,200 – Blood Transfusions in Surgical
Patients at Four Hospitals Total activity-based costing model costs
1,000 –
per unit of blood
800 – $726.05 Mean per‐unit acquisition costs included units that were wasted
$611.44 and additional services provided (e.g., irradiation, washing,
600 – cytomegalovirus testing) as described in the text. European currencies
$522.45
converted from the 1‐year mean beginning May 2008 (CHUV
conversion of $1 = SFr 1.12; AKH conversion of $1 = € 0.72).
400 –
$248.18 $203.47 $193.70 $153.72
AKH General Hospital Linz
200 –
CHUV Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois
0– EHMC Englewood Hospital Medical Center
EHMC RIH CHUV AKH RIH Rhode Island Hospital

Transforming Challenges into Opportunities:

The Saskatoon Experience
PBM program clinical champions and other advocates Once in Saskatoon, Dallas faced her own time constraints. She
face several common barriers to the development and could devote only half of her time to transfusion medicine
implementation of blood management programs: staff and in SHR as the program’s medical director; she also served as
time constraints; lack of awareness or interest in PBM; and transfusion medical director for the province of Saskatchewan.
funding. Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) in Saskatchewan Others at SHR had similar time restraints. The transfusion
provides an example of how these problems not only can be safety officer spent half of her time on reporting transfusion
overcome but how challenges can be transformed into novel reactions and other information at the federal level. In
opportunities. addition, there were too few medical technologists dedicated
to transfusion services. They also supported the bone bank
Staff and Time Constraints and the stem cell processing facility.
The foremost of the problems associated with starting a However, there were resources available in other specialties at
PBM program is typically a lack of resources — limited staff SHR. Staff perfusionists championed PBM. In fact, the director
with limited time. When Karen Dallas, MDCM, arrived in SHR, of the perfusion department chaired the existing transfusion
the region lacked both a transfusion medical director and medicine committee.
physicians trained in transfusion medicine. However, there SHR also had several strong residency programs in specialties
was a provincial transfusion medicine working group in including general pathology, anesthesia, surgery and general
Saskatchewan, which served as a de facto under-resourced medicine. Many of the residents were interested in transfusion
blood office. The working group included laboratory managers medicine. In particular, the anesthesia research program was
from each health region in the province, representation from well structured and provided Dallas the opportunity to present
the Ministry of Health and from the blood supplier (Canadian potential blood management research projects. Surgery and
Blood Services). general medicine required residents to perform research
projects, which generated additional resident interest in
transfusion medicine research.

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 7
Resident Research Identifies Quality Improvement Targets
Improving the quality of blood management 20 percent of patients had completely
provided residents with a rich area for research inappropriate STAT T&S testing for the ED. In
topics. Not only were residents able to meet the seven-week study period, they calculated
their research requirements, but they produced $11,000 of wastage. Presented with this data, ED
valuable baseline blood utilization data, which staff worked together with transfusion staff to
could be used to support individual quality improve requests for testing and blood usage.
initiatives at SHR as well. The following projects
Post-operative transfusion: Researchers
all benefited from resident involvement.
assessed transfusions associated with total hip
Type and Screen (T&S) testing: Hematology replacement surgery. They found that most
staff at SHR routinely repeated T&S tests every transfusions occurred during the post-operative
96 hours, ensuring that patients would be ready period. However, there were no transfusion
to receive a transfusion should a physician order guidelines or tracking system in place;
one. In a study, SHR researchers found that in transfusions were ordered at the discretion
a one-month period, 40 percent of patients in of individual clinicians. The researchers found
the hematology ward who underwent repeat that patients with Hb greater than 10 g/dL
testing were never transfused. In addition, 43 were receiving transfusions, despite growing
percent received only one transfusion, despite evidence for more restrictive transfusion
multiple pre-transfusion tests; only 17 percent criteria. In addition, a reason for transfusion
ever required more than one transfusion. The was provided in only 2 percent of medical
researchers estimated $6,000 of wastage in a charts. These findings revealed a great need for
single month due to unnecessary repeat T&S practitioner education.
testing and presented these results to the
Platelet utilization: Researchers examined
hematology department. A change in practice
platelet utilization over a one-year period.
was seen almost immediately.
Among the 10 patients with the greatest
Emergency Department STAT T&S testing: In platelet usage, numbers reached more than
another project, researchers collected data on 100 units. Some patients received multiple
emergency department (ED) STAT T&S testing platelet transfusions per day. Importantly,
for a seven-week period. They found that 83 the researchers found that very few clinicians
percent of ED patients who had been STAT ordered post-transfusion complete blood
T&S tested had hemoglobin (Hb) levels greater counts (CBCs), which could both prevent
than 10 g/dL. In addition, blood was never unnecessary transfusions and reveal possible
requisitioned for 89 percent of patients. Less platelet refractoriness. The study resulted in a
than half (43 percent) were admitted to the clinical transfusion algorithm and education for
hospital. Using a conservative categorization practitioners.
scheme, the researchers determined that

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 8
Generating Interest in PBM Funding Opportunities
PBM program champions often face a general lack of Building a PBM program costs money. In an era of tight
awareness about or interest in PBM among staff. In Saskatoon budgets and very limited financial resources, finding
the “Blood Club” — a hematology interest group — not innovative funding sources is essential. “We didn’t have
only educated staff about PBM but also identified potential enough money in our health region to start a PBM program.
allies. The group met one evening each month and attracted We didn’t have enough money to run a large project,” said
physicians, nurses, technologists and others. “In the end, Dallas. However, Dallas was able to highlight their small
even though we didn’t have a properly staffed program, we projects at the Saskatchewan provincial transfusion medicine
did have a lot of people who were interested in transfusion working group, which attracted interest of other members,
medicine,” said Dallas. including the Ministry of Health. With only a small investment
in little projects, SHR was able to generate interest in potential
A physician transfusion medicine utilization subcommittee
patient care improvements and cost savings at a higher level

“
was added to the transfusion committee. This small group
of the health system with the aim of securing more funding
included a surgeon, an anesthesiologist and a physician from
and resources.
ED/ICU, who met to discuss potential projects, algorithms
and audit results. “This has been a great venue to try to effect
change from within,” said Dallas.

Education, engagement, empowerment and excitement SHR was able to generate

have produced tangible results in Saskatoon. For example, a
interest in potential patient care
massive transfusion protocol was in place when Dallas arrived,
but had inconsistent activation. The activated protocol was
often a false alarm; sometimes the protocol was activated
before the patient even arrived at the hospital. In response,
Dallas held a multidisciplinary education session targeting
the “on-the-ground” providers, including residents, laboratory
improvements and cost savings at
a higher level of the health system
with the aim of securing more
“
technicians, nurses and educators. Consequently, “practice funding and resources.
changed overnight. People were excited, educated and
empowered to make better decisions,” said Dallas. In the six
months following the session, there were fewer than five
activations of the protocol, and all were appropriate. As an example, resident research on intravenous
immunoglobulin (IVIG) utilization suggested a simple avenue
for the province to save IVIG money for the blood budget.
Dallas and her colleagues participated in a Ministry of
Health-led rapid process improvement workshop (RPIW) on
IVIG utilization. The workshop ultimately led to a new order
form, a new set of provincial guidelines and the structure for
a specialist working group to evaluate indications for IVIG
orders.

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 9
Taking Advantage of Transfusion Committee Resources
At its heart, the transfusion committee provides planning Function
for and maintenance of transfusion safety and blood
A transfusion committee should be responsible for monitoring
management. An independent blood safety and management
physician ordering practice; establishing transfusion audit
committee or transfusion committee can drive the
criteria; establishing hospital-wide transfusion policies;
development of a PBM program or provide needed support

“
reviewing adverse events; and tracking specific quality blood
for a fledgling program. How is a transfusion committee
indicators. The transfusion committee needs access to metrics
composed and what does it do?
that reflect the ordering and transfusion of many blood
products.

The greater participation at the

highest level, the more global
a PBM initiative can become.
“ Determining the appropriateness of blood product ordering
— which is typically assessed through auditing — is a key
function of the transfusion committee, because it affects
both patient safety and wastage. While retrospective auditing
provides valuable information, concurrent auditing can
change blood product usage in real time. Electronic ordering
can make concurrent auditing more feasible. Useful metrics
include crossmatch/transfusion ratio, turn-around-time and
transfusion reaction tracking.
Composition
Support from hospital administration is essential, according Table 1: Model for Transfusion
to Mary Townsend, MD, who is the Senior Medical Director at Committee Membership
Table 1: Model for Transfusion Committee Membership
Blood Systems Inc. She recommends seeking participation
Department Position/Specialty Total No. Representatives
from hospital leadership. The administration representative Hospital Administration Chief Medical Officer 1

is typically the chief medical officer. However, the greater Blood Bank Director Laboratory Manager 2
Blood Vendor Director 1
the participation at the highest level, the more global a PBM Pathology Director 1
initiative can become. Pathology Residents 1+
Biomedical Engineering 1

The other essential element is multidisciplinary involvement. Pharmacy 1

Risk Management 1
A good transfusion committee includes the medical director Clinical Services 14

of the transfusion service; the transfusion safety officer; (1 physician + 1 nurse Anesthesia
from each specialty
physicians from all major medical and surgical departments Emergency Medicine

that routinely order blood; pathologists; anesthesiologists; Surgery

Cardiothoracic
nurses; a blood bank representative; laboratory personnel; Intensive Care Units

representatives from pharmacy, education, risk management Trauma

Medicine/Hematology
and quality teams; and other stakeholders.12 The emergency
Pediatrics/Neonatology
department (ED) and operating room (OR) have special Nursing Nursing 3

needs and should be included in the committee as well. Perioperative Nursing

Nursing Education
The committee chair should be a physician with extensive Total 26+

knowledge of transfusion medicine. Consider rotating the Adapted from: Saxena, S ed. The Transfusion Committee: Putting Patient Safety First. 2nd ed. (Bethesda, Maryland: AABB Press,
2013)
chair with terms of two to three years to avoid burnout.

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 10
The crossmatch/transfusion (C/T) ratio reflects over-ordering
of blood compared with actual transfusion. Over-ordering Successful Transfusion Committee
wastes staff time and reagents. However, the C/T ratio
doesn’t always represent appropriate ordering, according to
Meetings
Townsend. For example, a surgeon may order and transfuse n A successful transfusion committee depends
three units of RBCs for every surgery. The surgeon’s C/T ratio on successful meetings.
is one metric yet his blood usage may not be appropriate in each n More frequent meetings will be needed
case.
during the implementation of a PBM program
Turn-around-time (TAT) reflects customer service to but can be decreased once the program
physicians and patients (i.e., delivery of blood components becomes established — biweekly vs. quarterly.
in timely fashion) and can help pinpoint areas for
n Townsend recommends scheduling meetings
improvement. However, TAT can be a misleading term.
Blood may not be transfused to a patient as soon as it is
and providing the agenda and meeting
delivered. For example, a patient who is in radiology when materials — audits, adverse reaction reports
blood arrives may not be transfused until later. So, TAT and other routine reports — well in advance.
must be defined very carefully in order to be meaningful, This allows the committee to spend the bulk of
according to Townsend. the meeting time doing meaningful work.
Transfusion reaction tracking can help to identify under- n The meeting atmosphere should be open, and
recognition or under-reporting of transfusion-related members should be encouraged to report and
adverse events. Once a problem is identified, education discuss errors.
can be developed and implemented to improve staff
n Following the meeting, the minutes and
knowledge.
action items should be distributed as soon as
possible to keep the momentum going.

Table 2: Sample Agenda for

Figure 3: Sample Agenda for Transfusion Committee Meeting
Transfusion Committee Meeting

Date: Time: Room:

Item Requirement Description Responsibility Documents Action/Information

1 Call to order Chair Action

2 Bylaws Approval of Minutes Chair Minutes Action
Standard Reports
3 AABB, TJC Blood refrigerator maintenance Refrigeration representative Quarterly report Action
4 AABB/TJC Blood warmer maintenance Biomedical engineering Quarterly report Action
5 Bylaws/ABB/TJC Component utilization Blood bank manager Quarterly report Information
6 AABB/TJC Blood product wastage Blood bank manager Quarterly report Information
7 FDA Blood product deviations Blood bank manager Quarterly report Information
8 AABB/TJC Transfusion reactions Blood bank manager Quarterly report Information
9 Bylaws/AABB/TJC Blood product utilization reviews Clinical service representative Quarterly report Action
10 Bylaws/AABB/TJC Sentinel events, mistransfusions, near misses Blood bank medical director Quarterly report Action
11 Transfusion profiles by clinical service Chair Quarterly report Information
12 Bylaws/AABB/TJC Blood administering assessment (non-OR) Nursing representative Quarterly report Action
13 Bylaws/AABB/TJC Blood administering assessment (OR) OR Nursing representative Quarterly report Action
14 Bylaws Policy/procedure update/approval Chair Policy/procedure Action
New Business
15 New items Chair/members Information/Action
16 Bylaws TC meeting schedule Chair Meeting schedule Information
17 Open Members Information/Action

TJC = The Joint Commission

Adapted from: Saxena, S ed. The Transfusion Committee: Putting Patient Safety First. 2nd ed. (Bethesda, Maryland: AABB Press, 2013)

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 11
Conclusion
Starting a PBM program can seem a formidable task. The By teaching physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians and
challenges can seem intimidating. But programs don’t start other stakeholders about the patient safety and quality-of-
overnight nor are they fully functioning in the beginning. care improvements associated with PBM, larger projects can
Small steps add up. Many successful programs have started become possible, ultimately leading to a successful hospital-
with small pilot projects and built upon those successes. wide PBM program.
Small projects can also serve as excellent education tools.

1Goodnough LT, Maggio P, Hadhazy E, et al. Restrictive blood transfusion practices are associated with improved patient outcomes. Transfusion. 2014;54:2753-59.
2 Rohde JM, Dimcheff DE, Blumberg N, et al. Health care-associated infection after red blood cell transfusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2014;311:1317-26.
3 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #165. 2013. http://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb165.pdf. Accessed January
20, 2015.
4 Hébert PC, Wells G, Blajchman MA, et al. A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Transfusion Requirements in Critical Care. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:409-17.
5 Carson JL, Terrin ML, Noveck H, et al. Liberal or Restrictive Transfusion in High-Risk Patients after Hip Surgery. N Engl J Med. 2011;365:2453-62.
6 Goodnough LT. et al.
7 Shander A, Hofmann A, Ozawa S, et al. Activity-based costs of blood transfusion in surgical patients at four hospitals. Transfusion. 2010;50:753-65.
8 Carson JL, Grossman BJ, Kleinman S, et al. Clinical Guidelines: Red Blood Cell Transfusion: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the AABB. Ann Intern Med. 2012;157:49-58.
9 Hannon TJ, Gjerde KA. “Contemporary economics of transfusion.” In Perioperative Transfusion Medicine, Spiess BD Ed., 2005.
10 Shander A. et al.
11 Ferraris VA, Davenport DL, Saha SP, et al. Surgical outcomes and transfusion of minimal amounts of blood in the operating room. Arch Surg. 2012;147:49-55.
12 Waters, JH ed. Blood Management: Options for Better Patient Care. (Bethesda, Maryland: AABB Press, 2008).

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 12
 Acknowledgments

Timothy Hannon, MD, MBA

Anesthesiologist
St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis

Karen Dallas, MD
Consultant
Transfuse Solutions

Mary Townsend, MD
Senior Medical Director
Blood Systems Inc.
and
Medical Director
BSI Transfusion Safety Officer
Training Program

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 13
 Notes

Building a Better Patient Blood Management Program _____________ An AABB White Paper © 2015 | 14
8101 Glenbrook Road n Bethesda, MD n 20814-2749 n +1.301.907.6977 n www.aabb.org