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Autologous donation error rates in Canada
M Goldman1, S Rémy-Prince, A Trépanier
1Canadian Red Cross Society, Blood Services, Transfusion Center of Quebec, Canada.
Transfusion
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Autologous blood donations, while reducing some risks, still experience frequent clerical errors. These errors, including labeling and delivery mistakes, highlight that autologous transfusions are not risk-free.
Area of Science:
- Transfusion Medicine
- Patient Safety
- Blood Banking
Background:
- Autologous blood transfusions eliminate certain risks associated with allogeneic donations.
- However, clerical errors can still occur in autologous donation processes.
- Differences in donor selection and patient expectations may alter the impact of errors in autologous versus allogeneic donations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the error rates in Canadian autologous blood donation programs.
- To identify the types and frequencies of errors occurring in these programs.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive review of autologous donation error data in Canada from 1989 to 1995.
- Data collection involved questionnaires sent to hospitals and Canadian Red Cross centers, and a review of quality assurance reports.
- Error rates were calculated based on the number of units collected.
Main Results:
- The Montreal autologous donation program reported 113 errors for 16,873 units (1/149 units).
- Frequent errors included late receipt of units (25%) and delivery to the wrong hospital (23%).
- Other Canadian programs reported 166 errors for approximately 53,500 units (1/322 units), with labeling (48%) and component preparation (25%) being most common. One unit was transfused to the wrong recipient.
Conclusions:
- Clerical errors are a significant concern in autologous blood donation programs.
- Autologous transfusions carry inherent risks that necessitate careful management and error reduction strategies.