Impact of Type and Screen Method on Turnaround Time and Man-Hour Utilization Compared to Conventional Coomb's...

Background Blood component transfusion is vital for various medical conditions, requiring thorough pretransfusion testing to ensure safety and compatibility. The Type and Screen (T and S) method allows for efficient detection of clinically significant antibodies while reducing unnecessary crossmatching. This study evaluates T and S's impact on turnaround time and man-hour utilization compared to conventional crossmatching. Methodology The study included 835 elective crossmatch requests. Blood grouping, antibody screening, and antihuman globulin (AHG) crossmatching were performed using column agglutination technology, while immediate saline crossmatching was done by tube technique. Turnaround time (TAT), man-hour utilization, and saved rates were calculated for both the T and S protocol and routine AHG crossmatch. Results In this study, 835 elective blood samples underwent antibody screening and immediate saline phase crossmatching, with validation by AHG phase crossmatch. The T and S protocol significantly reduced TAT for both first (51.24 vs. 71.56 minutes) and subsequent transfusions (17.47 vs. 39.67 minutes) compared to AHG crossmatching, with reductions being statistically significant (p < 0.0001). T and S also saved 279.28 man-hours (11.6 man-days), equating to 0.33 man-hours saved per sample. Conclusion Our study shows that the T and S protocol significantly enhances blood bank efficiency by reducing TAT and man-hour utilization compared to conventional AHG crossmatching. This improvement not only optimizes manpower but also makes the process more cost-effective.