Using data via a dashboard to decrease the use of pRBC transfusions and increase appropriate use

In a new paper, researchers from University Hospitals (UH) detail how they used data via a dashboard to decrease the use of packed red-blood cell (pRBC) transfusions and platelets with an increase in appropriate transfusions. Their paper, “Transfusion Utilization and Appropriateness: Thinking Differently at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center,” appears in the July/August 2022 issue of the edition of the Physician Leadership Journal. Lead author Jennifer Dawson MSN, MBA, RN, CPN, NE-BC, said, “We hypothesized that use of an evidence-based transfusion algorithm considering patient specific criteria would raise awareness that would lead to a decrease in pRBC and platelets used, while improving appropriate use.” … “Our findings demonstrate a significant reduction in transfusions and cost savings following implementation of the dashboards without negatively impacting patient outcomes,” said lead investigator James L Hill MD, MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Critical Care Anesthesiologist at UH Parma Medical Center and Assistant Professor for the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Hill previously served at the System Medical Director of Transfusion Services and Blood Management and was the Chief of Trauma Anesthesiology at UH Cleveland Medical Center. “Healthcare does much good, yet it can be so much greater if we make visible and eliminated defects in value. Our intervention demonstrates this, improving quality and reducing the cost of care,” said co-author Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at UH and Professor for the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Craig Schwabl Ethan Cohen David Sylvan Neil Wyant Dhanesh Shah