Implementation of MEDITECH's Client Server Tranfusion Administration Record - Sponsored Whitepaper

Implementation of MEDITECH's Client Server Transfusion Administration Record (TAR) to Enhance Transfusion Safety

John Saulenas, Senior Consultant, MEDITECH Practice

The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) reports that each year more than 4 million people require blood transfusions. A great deal of time and effort has been spent in the last three decades to ensure that our nation's blood supply is safe. However, transfusion mistakes cause between 50 -100 preventable patient deaths annually in the United States.

Steps have been taken to ensure that the infectious risks (those associated with transfusion mediated disease) are significantly reduced. In the United States, each unit of donated blood is tested for several different infectious diseases. According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HTLV-1 from a blood transfusion is about one in 34,000 transfused units. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C account for 88 percent of this risk. Most of the risk of a blood transfusion is a result of non-infectious risks or mis-transfusion events. Blood transfusion is a complex and multi-step process that has long been recognized as a significant patient-safety issue.

Non-Infectious Risks (Mis-Transfusion Events)