Process capability indexes: Trends and developments in the manufacturing of blood components

The production of blood components takes place in a workflow where conditions should be controlled and stabilized. The quality control claims and the principles of statistical process control should be understood to apply a control policy properly. Control typically employs charts complemented by a set of rules that allow taking well-supported actions. The use of capability indexes is not systematically used in blood establishments. They allow characterizing the production process. The data analyzed refer to producing a type of blood component over three years in two blood establishments. One or more capability levels may be typical of a given analyte for a specific blood component in a given environment. Some recommendations for adequate use of capability indexes to control blood components production properly are assumed.