The 90s paradox: QA efforts reduce total quality.

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Healthcare Resource Allocation
• Quality Assurance in Healthcare

Background:

• The

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of prioritizing infectious risk reduction on overall blood product quality.
• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of current blood safety measures.
• To advocate for a more balanced approach to quality assurance in blood banking.

Main Methods:

• Review of resource allocation in blood centers.
• Analysis of investments in blood safety testing versus other quality enhancements.
• Examination of customer expectations and willingness to pay for blood product attributes.

Main Results:

• Significant resources are allocated to marginal safety improvements, potentially depleting funds for other quality aspects like potency.
• Current quality assurance (QA) investments may not yield proportional benefits, impacting overall quality.
• Customers desire enhanced safety but are reluctant to fund it, while overlooking potency and efficacy.

Conclusions:

• A sole focus on "closing the window" of infectious risks in transfusion medicine may be resource-inefficient.
• Blood service providers must demonstrate the value of QA activities to ensure reimbursement.
• Achieving total quality in blood banking requires balancing safety with other critical attributes like potency and efficacy.