title: Shorter turn-around-time and improved patient care in peripheral blood progenitor cell collection procedures.
abstract: The collection of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) requires the combined efforts of the Transfusion Medicine/Hemapheresis and Hematology/Oncology services and HLA/Progenitor Cell and Immunology laboratories. Coordination and communication among these different services and laboratories are key to attaining an optimal collection in a timely manner for the patient undergoing PBPC collection. In an effort to improve patient care by same-day decision to cease or continue collections avoiding unnecessary collections, needless patient trips to the hospital and ultimately increasing patient satisfaction, a flow chart was used to capture the sequence of events. The flow chart served as a powerful tracking tool that defined system process and steps to attain enumeration of CD34+ cells the same day of collection. It provided documentation of work flow from each of the independent operations involved in progenitor cell collection and enumeration turn-around-time including attending and staff time involvement. By using the flow chart, potential and actual problem areas were demonstrated and this allowed for creative thinking and problem solving by individual sections rather than recriminations. Finally, it focused all the staff involved in the common goal of a shorter turn-around-time for CD34+ cell enumeration the same day of collection. This allowed a prompt decision for subsequent leukapheresis as improved service to oncology patients and their physicians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, State University of New York Health Sciences Center, Syracuse 13210, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ratcliffe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blume
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hubbell
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001771:Blood Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002648:Child; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects; D004526:Efficiency; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000451:nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007937:Leukapheresis / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D009518:New York; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000451:nursing; D011340:Problem Solving; D012985:Software Design; D013997:Time Factors; D017748:Time Management; D013996:Time and Motion Studies
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D019343:Citric Acid