This question is based on the International Journal of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology of Kavulavu et al. (2022) titled “Challenges facing blood transfusion services at a regional blood transfusion center in Western Kenya” as stated in the collected data from ERBTC between January 1, 2021 and March 21, 2021, there were deficits in packed red cells, platelet concentrates, and whole blood resulting to 57.6%, 23.6% and 68.4% deficits respectively resulting in a total of 50.8% deficit of supply. With this how can blood banks prevent such discrepancies in supply and demand of specific blood components?
According to an article of Mishra, Daga, & Gupta. (2021) which talks about the inventory management of practices in the blood banks in India, states different inventory management practices such as Simple Inventory Monitoring Procedures which depend on the insights of the highly trained and experienced staff. Another is Transparency of Inventory which is made possible by adapting blood bank software and making bar-coding a mandatory component of blood bag labeling. Regular inventory counts using software and physical identification are carried out in order to avoid stock mismatches. Regular Stock Review and OUFA/FIFO Principle which utilizes a strict oldest-unit-first-out (OUFO) policy or first-in-first-out (FIFO) policy wherein the blood and component stock in the refrigerators are age-sorted so that the oldest units that are closest to expiry are utilized first and Units can be separated according to age and freshness using software and barcoding. Another practice is the Strict Replacement Donation and Periodic Voluntary Donation wherein blood banks have a stringent replacement donor policy in place to meet demand. With the exception of emergencies and life-saving circumstances, any patient in need of an elective blood transfusion must supply a replacement donor for at least 50% of the units that are requisitioned. Strict Blood/Component Allocation Policy wherein the necessary blood or component quantities are reserved for that specific patient in accordance with the department's request. Other common practices include utilizing Standard Operating Protocols (SOP), monthly performance reports, human resource training, equipment maintenance and calibration, leadership and communication, internal collaboration, and digitalization and information technology.
Reference:
Mishra, S., Daga, A., & Gupta, A. (2021). Inventory management practices in the blood bank of an institute of national importance in India. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 10(12), 4489–4492. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1000_21
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