A comprehensive protocol to evaluate the use of blood and its components in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Main Authors: Ana E. del Pozo, Maria D. Pérez-Rosales, Cesar de Almeida-Neto, Mirta C. Remesar, Armando D. Cortes, Raquel Baumgratz Delgado, Alfredo Mendrone Jr., Ester Sabino
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2015
• Subjects: Transfusión sanguínea; protocolos; bancos de sangre; servicio de hemoterapia; sistemas de administración de bases de datos; seguridad de la sangre; transfusión de componentes sanguíneos; América Latina; Región del Caribe; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/cc6a7eb894484192bd57c88579327e5a

Blood transfusion safety is a critical part of appropriate health care. Considering the limited information available on the use of blood and its components in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Grupo Cooperativo iberoamericano de Medicina Transfusional (Ibero-American Cooperative Group for Transfusion Medicine; GCIAMT), through its Research and International Affairs committees, carried out a project to develop a protocol that would facilitate the evaluation of blood usage at the country, jurisdiction, and institutional levels in varied country contexts. Experts in blood safety from the Pan American Health Organization (Washington, DC, United States), the University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil), the Hemocentro of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil), and GCIAMT designed a 2-step comprehensive blood-use evaluation protocol: step 1 collects data from blood requests, and step 2, from medical charts. At a minimum, 1 000 analyzed requests are necessary; as such, study periods vary depending on the number of transfusion requests issued. An Internet-based application, the Modular Research System-Study Management System (MRS-SMS), houses the data and produces reports on how hospitals request blood, how blood is issued, who requires blood and blood components, and as an added benefit, how many blood units are wasted and what the real demand for blood is.