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Zeroing in on red blood cell unit expiry.
Fathima Ayyalil1,2, Greg Irwin1, Bryony Ross1,2,3
1Pathology North-Hunter, Hunter Area Pathology Service, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton, NSW, Australia.
Transfusion
|September 24, 2017
Summary
Implementing strategic inventory management and stock rotation significantly reduced red blood cell (RBC) unit expiry. This approach achieved zero wastage due to expiry, optimizing blood resource utilization.
Area of Science:
- Transfusion Medicine
- Healthcare Management
- Pathology Services
Background:
- Red blood cell (RBC) unit expiry contributes significantly to wastage of donated blood.
- Effective strategies are needed to optimize resource utilization and minimize blood wastage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze strategic measures implemented to reduce RBC unit expiry in an Australian hospital.
- To evaluate the impact of inventory rearrangement and stock rotation on blood wastage.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study over a 24-month period.
- Implementation of inventory level reduction, effective stock rotation, and a computerized linking system.
- Evaluation of RBC expiry rates and emergency courier usage.
Main Results:
- Zero wastage of RBC units due to expiry in the 12 months post-implementation.
- Pre-policy changes, approximately 50% of RBC wastage was due to expiry.
- Reduction in older blood units (>28 days) from 6%-41% to 0%-2.5% through effective stock rotation.
Conclusions:
- Age-related expiry of blood products is preventable with improved pathology service practices.
- The study demonstrates proof of principle for achieving zero tolerance for RBC unit expiry in networked blood banking.
- Optimized inventory management and stock rotation are key to reducing blood wastage.
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