title: Effectiveness of multiple initiatives to reduce blood component wastage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Blood component waste is an important issue at all hospitals. As an initiative of the patient blood management program at a regional health care system, the causes and extent of blood product wastage were identified, and targeted interventions to effect a reduction were implemented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multiple low-cost interventions, including educational outreach, print and digital messaging, and improved transportation and component identification modalities, were implemented beginning in January 2013. The impact on reducing RBC, platelet (PLT), and plasma wastage in the 16 months after intervention implementation was compared with the wastage rates in the 16 months before these interventions had been implemented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the RBC wastage rate as a percentage of the number of units issued decreased from 0.67% to 0.56% (P = .001) after the interventions were implemented, while the PLT wastage rate decreased from 3.71% to 2.81% (P < .001). The plasma wastage rate increased from 1.14% to 1.40% (P < .001). The initial cost of these interventions was approximately $310. The net cost savings of the reduced waste was estimated at $131,520, excluding intervention costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relatively inexpensive interventions can have a prompt and dramatic impact on reducing blood wastage with regard to both cost and resource savings.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA;
authors.forename: Ryan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: The Donald D. Wolff Jr. Center for Quality, Safety, and Innovation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA:
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Bioengineering and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; and.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Darrell J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Triulzi
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA. myazer@itxm.org.
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yazer
mesh_terms: D016913:Blood Component Transfusion; D001792:Blood Platelets; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004912:Erythrocytes; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008506:Medical Waste / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010949:Plasma; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D008506:Medical Waste
keywords: Blood components; Intervention; Plasma; Platelets; RBC; Wastage; Waste