[Personnel need and production costs of preparative thrombocytapheresis: an appropriate cost-benefit analysis?]

During their economic assessment of our medical center, the accountants Ernst & Young recommended staffing levels for our blood bank. Based on this and while applying the effective annual working time of each professional group (donor room personnel: operator/physician/medical technologist), we developed a staffing key for complete preparation and testing of apheresis-platelet concentrates (TAPH): with scheduled complete physical examinations (first-time donor, then annually) 1,500/1,450/2,300 procedures a year are considered an adequate output for the professional groups involved. With routine donor screening, the key is 1,800/1,900/2,300 procedures. This does not include any HLA-related activities. Based on this staffing key, our average personnel costs for TAPH are DM 124.67, or 18.3% of the total costs of such product (DM 681.40).