Autoverification in Transfusion Medicine

Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
Topic: Transfusion Medicine
Intended Audience: CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Directors, Hospitals, Hospital Blood Banks, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Managers/Supervisors, Medical Directors, Physicians, Research Scientists, Residents/Fellows, Scientists, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists, Transfusion Safety Officers
Teaching Level: Basic to Intermediate

Director: Quynh Vantu, CSQE(ASQ)CBA-CQA, PMP, CPHIMS, FACHE, Program Manager, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service Program Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
Moderator:Suzanne H. Butch, MA, MLS(ASCP)SBB^CM, DLM^CM, Special Projects, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Speakers: Stephanie Kinney, MD, Medical Director of Transfusion Services, Assistant Medical Director of Clinical Laboratories, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Brad Johnston, MLS(ASCP)^cmSBB^cm, Technical Specialist, Blood Bank, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

Learning Objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss risks and benefits of autoverification in the blood bank.
• Describe steps taken to implement autoverification in the transfusion service.
• Outline the barriers to adopting autoverification.

Program Description

Advances in blood bank information technology have paved the way for new processes aimed at reducing staff workload and testing turnaround times (TATs). Autoverification of testing performed in the transfusion service has lagged behind other areas of the clinical laboratory. This program will review the process one facility used to achieve these goals.

Registration

AABB understands the value of learning together as a group but with COVID-19, bringing everyone together to share the experience in person may not be an option for your team. Given this, all participants in a group will be provided the ability to register as a single viewer (AABB will provide a promocode to registered group viewing coordinators to share with their team in advance of the live program). If you are a group interested in participating in this eCast, simply complete the Group Viewing registration form and AABB will provide detailed instructions to share with your team. For single viewers, the process has not changed.

Continuing Education Credit

AABB estimates both the live and on-demand version of this eCast each to be eligible for 1 continuing education credits/contact hours for Physician, California Nurse, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. The final number of credit(s) and credit types awarded for this program (live or on-demand) will be determined by the program duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty are provided at the beginning of the program.

Speaker Biographies

Brad Johnston is currently the technical specialist of the blood bank at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He obtained his degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from Wright State University and his Specialist in Blood Bank certificate from the University of Texas Medical Branch. In his current role, he has led projects for the insourcing of the blood bank, implementation of blood bank automation and autoverification, and the conversion to a new blood bank LIS.

Dr. Stephanie Kinney is currently the Medical Director of Transfusion Services and the CLIA Medical Director of several satellite laboratories at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. She completed her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine and her fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Her research and clinical interests include patient blood management, clinical laboratory test utilization, transfusion support in immune-mediated cytopenias, and blood bank education.

Click here for more about the curriculum for the AABB Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine 101: eCast Series.  AABB eCasts are 60-90-minute interactive, online programs that include a question and answer period. Participants need access to a computer with an active Internet connection to participate. To register for online live and on-demand programs, view AABB’s registration options and pricing here.