The use of transfusion quality indicators as a tool for hemovigilance system implementation at a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES To report 2-years experience of using transfusion-related quality indicators as a tool in hemovigilance system implementation.  METHODS The study was carried out between 2012 and 2013. Blood transfusion service data were prospectively collected at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Donor reactions, transfusion reactions, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in-date wastage, incidents, and errors pertaining to orders, or requests were collected quarterly and prospectively and forwarded to the Hospital Transfusion Committee (HTC) for review.  RESULTS Donor population consisted of 23,132 donors. One hundred and forty-eight donor reactions were reported, resulting in a rate of 0.6%. Eighty-four transfusion reactions were reported and most were allergic reactions (79.7%). Errors or incidents were reported with approximately 0.3% of the total number of submitted samples/request forms. The FFP in-date wastage was 21.3% of the total FFP wastage. The HTC regularly reviewed the hemovigilance data and reporting; and safety improvements were implemented.  CONCLUSION The use of quality indicators as a tool for developing and implementing a hemovigilance system provided a better understanding of improvement areas for continuous progress in quality and safety, and is expected to enhance these features along the blood transfusion chain.