Implementing a patient blood management program in Norway: Where to start?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Transfusion Medicine
• Anesthesiology

Background:

• Norway is establishing a national patient blood management (PBM) program.
• Benchmarking blood usage faces legal challenges in Norway.
• A survey identified priorities for the initial PBM program phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key areas for the first phase of Norway's national PBM program.
• To understand current transfusion practices and identify areas for improvement.
• To lay the groundwork for standardized blood product utilization.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to various Norwegian hospitals.
• The survey aimed to identify potential priorities for PBM implementation.
• Analysis focused on current practices and potential areas for optimization.

Main Results:

• Optimizing pre-operative hemoglobin and using transfusion checklists are key PBM priorities.
• Patients may receive red blood cell transfusions at hemoglobin levels higher than international recommendations.
• Lack of national guidelines contributes to variation in transfusion practices.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing hemoglobin thresholds is crucial for reducing transfusion practice variation.
• Implementing PBM strategies can significantly impact blood product usage.
• Transfusion specialists are vital in promoting PBM principles within hospitals.