This document provides an overview of Standard 7 of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, which relates to blood and blood products. It discusses the four criteria of the standard - governance and systems, documenting patient information, managing blood and blood product safety, and communicating with patients. It outlines the requirements under each criterion, such as having policies and procedures, documenting transfusions in patient records, managing storage and transport of blood safely, and providing information to patients. The document emphasizes that the goal of the standard is to establish a quality improvement system focused on appropriate and safe use of blood and blood products.

1. Standard Seven:
The blood standard quality
improvement cycle
Philippa Kirkpatrick

2. Standard 7
Blood and Blood
Products
Standard 10
Preventing Falls and
Harm from Falls
Standard 1
Governance for Safety and
Quality in Health
Service Organisations
Standard 2
Partnering with
Consumers
Standard 4
Medication
Safety
Standard 3
Healthcare
Associated
Infections
Standard 8
Preventing and
Managing Pressure
Injuries
Standard 9
Recognising and
Responding to Clinical
Deterioration in Acute
Health Care
Standard 5
Patient Identification
and Procedure
Matching
Standard 6
Clinical
Handover
Standard 7
Blood and Blood
Products
The NSQHS Standards

3. Inherent risks
Why a blood standard?
Ingrained in the culture of medical practice
Inappropriate transfusions
Product wastage

4. The Blood Standard covers
Use of blood and blood products
The prescribing practice and clinical use of blood
and blood products, and whether or not those
products are prescribed and used appropriately
Management of blood and blood products
Handling, transport, storage (including inventory
management) of blood and blood products
Administration of blood and blood products
The process used to deliver the product to the
patient.
Scope - activities

5. Scope
Blood Biological Medicine
Fresh blood
products eg
• Red cells
• Platelets
• Plasma
• Cryoprecipitate
• Serum eye drops
Plasma derived
products eg
• IVIg
• RhD immunoglobulin
• Clotting factors
• Albumin
• Monoclonal
antibodies
• Vaccines
• Other
recombinant
products
Plasma derived
products eg
• Tisseel
• Artiss
• C1-INH
• Fibrinogen
Recombinant clotting
factors
Classes
of
products
funded
under
National
Blood
Arrangements
Classes
of
products
not
funded
under
National
Blood
Arrangements
Haematopoietic
progenitor cells
Currently covered by Standard 7
Not currently covered by Standard 7

6. Standard 7 overview
4 criterion
23 actions
One overall
improvement program

7. Criterion One
Governance and systems

8. Transfusion quality improvement system
(Action 7.4.1)
Improve
quality and
use of
policies
(7.1.3)
Reduce
systems
risks (7.2.2)
Reduce
adverse
event risks
(7.3.1)
Improve
documentatio
n (7.5.3)
Reduce
managemen
t risks
(7.2.2)
Reduce
wastage
(7.8.2)
Improve
provision of
patient
information
(7.10.1)
Reduce
administration
risks (7.6.2)
Improve
documentatio
n of consent
(7.11.1)

9. Oversight of the program
– Review reports
– Identify recurring issues
– Root cause analysis of incidents
– Develop or agree action plan
– Evaluate effectiveness of actions
Transfusion governance
group (Action 7.4.1)
What about in
small organisations?
Join with other hospitals or identify
a group responsible for more than
just transfusion practice (ensuring
they have a clear remit to govern
transfusion practice)

10. You should have policies, procedures and protocols that
reflect best practice, and national evidence based
guidelines where they are available.
Your policies, procedures and protocols should cover
the spectrum of:
– Use of blood and blood products
– Management of blood and blood products
– Administration of blood and blood products
Policies, procedures and
protocols (Action 7.1.1)

11. Quality improvement cycle
Transfusion
Quality
Improvement
System
Identify what you will do -
develop or identify policies,
procedures or protocols
Implement the policies
Monitor their use AND
monitor their quality
Take action to improve
uptake and improve their
quality

12. Criterion Two
Documenting patient
information

13. A best possible history of blood product
usage and relevant clinical and product
information is documented in the patient
clinical record
This action builds on Action 1.9.1 by
identifying the information relevant to
transfusion of blood and blood products that
should be documented
The patient clinical record
(Action 7.5.1)

14. Type of product
Volume of product
Date and time of
commencement
Date and time of completion
Observations
Patient response including
any adverse events
Product identification
Provision of information
Patient consent or refusal
Indications
Special product
requirements
Known patient transfusion
history
Compatibility label or report
Documentation
requirements

15. Patient documentation
case study
What actions are required to demonstrate compliance with
the Standard?
(note that this case study is presented not to demonstrate particular actions that are required to achieve
accreditation, but to demonstrate that the purpose of Standard 7 is to improve safety and quality based on an
assessment of risk).
Hospital One Hospital Two
Has policy Yes Yes
Documentation
completeness
audit results
50% of records
are complete
95% of records
are complete
Documentation
sample results
5% of units fate
not documented
<0.01% of units
fate not
documented

16. Transfusion governance group has reviewed findings and
developed and implemented an action plan
Outcome: the action plan is matched with the level of compliance.
Case Study
Hospital One
Reviewed policy
Implemented training of all staff
Identified staff associated with non-compliance and
communicated directly with them
Made changes to the IT system to facilitate inclusion of
all information (prompts)
Increased frequency of audit on the hospital audit plan
Initiated more regular spot checks of fate of product
against patient records

17. Audit report does not have a management response or action plan
They posted on the intranet a reminder to document transfusion in
the patient clinical record
They have not undertaken any other
follow up and the next audit is scheduled
for one year away
Case Study
Hospital One
Outcome: the action plan is not matched with
the level of compliance. The health service
organisation needs to demonstrate additional
work prior to accreditation.

18. They posted on the intranet a reminder to
document transfusion in the patient clinical
record
They have not undertaken any other follow
up and the next audit is scheduled for one
year away
Outcome: the action plan is matched with the level of
compliance.
Case Study
Hospital Two

19. Recognise and respond to
adverse events
Document adverse events in
the patient clinical record
Take action to reduce the risk
of adverse events as part of
your transfusion quality
improvement system
Managing adverse events

20. 7.6.1
Patient record
Document in patient clinical record
7.6.3
External report
Report to pathology provider, or product
manufacturer
7.3.1
Local report
Report in local incident system and review by
Transfusion Governance Group
7.3.2
Executive report
Review of incident analysis by highest
governance level
7.3.3
State report
Participate in state haemovigilance reporting
7.3.3 National report
Participate in national haemovigilance reporting
Complexities
of
incident
reporting

21. Criterion Three
Managing blood and
blood product safety

22. Blood must be stored and handled appropriately to
prevent risk to patients.
Systems should be implemented to reduce risks
associated with receipt, storage, collection, and
transport (Action 7.7.1 and 7.7.2)
Wastage of blood should be minimised (Action 7.8.1
and 7.8.2)
Management of blood
and blood products

23. Many health service organisations receive blood from an
outsourced pathology
It remains the health service organisation’s responsibility to
demonstrate compliance with the Standard
Responsibility where services are outsourced
You use blood
provided by a
contracted pathology
provider
Have a contract that
includes standards
and reporting
Review reports and
seek implementation
of strategies to
rectify problems

24. Criterion Four
Communicating with
patients and carers
http://www.questacon.edu.au/enlighten/

25. Develop or identify resources to inform patients and their
carers about the alternatives, risk and benefits of
transfusion (Action 7.9.1)
Provide this information to patients and their carers in a
format that is understood and meaningful (7.10.1)
Allow patients and carers to partner in decisions on their
care based on the communication on the alternatives,
risks and benefits of transfusion (Action 7.9.2)
Communication
(Actions 7.9.1, 7.9.2 and 7.10.1)

26. Have a documented consent policy
Ensure written and documented consent meets local
policy
Ensure the consent is actually informed – link with 7.9
and 7.10
Assess compliance with the consent policy, and take
actions to increase compliance
Consent (Action 7.11.1)

27. When you are developing your consent policy consider….
How long does the
consent last?
Who is documenting
the consent?
Is the consent
specific to
transfusion?
What do you do when a
patient is unable to
consent?

28. The Standard Seven
quality improvement cycle
YOU CAN DO IT!

29. Clinical practice guidelines
National Blood Authority www.blood.gov.au/guidelines
 Patient Blood Management Guidelines
Module 1: Critical Bleeding Massive Transfusion
Module 2: Perioperative
Module 3: Medical
Module 4: Critical Care
Module 5: Obstetric
Module 6: Paediatric/Neonates
 Guidelines on the Prophylactic Use of Rh D Immunoglobulin (anti-D) in Obstetrics
 Criteria for the Clinical Use of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (second edition)
NHMRC guidelines portal www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines
 Factor VIII and FIX Guidelines
 Warfarin Reversal Consensus Guidelines
Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT) guidelines and publications
www.anzsbt.org.au/publications/
Available resources

30. Product information and product management
 10 Tips to Help Manage you Blood Product Inventory http://www.nba.gov.au/supply/10-tips.pdf
 Managing blood and blood product inventory – Guidelines for Australian Health Providers
http://www.nba.gov.au/supply/inventory-guidelines.pdf
 Australian Red Cross Blood Service Blood Component Information Circular
http://www.transfusion.com.au/sites/default/files/BCI%202012.pdf
 The Australian Red Cross Blood Service blood components and products web site
http://www.transfusion.com.au/blood_products
 BloodSafe eLearning Australia module on Transporting Blood https://www.bloodsafelearning.org.au/
 ANZSBT Guidelines for the Administration of Blood Products http://www.anzsbt.org.au/publications/
 ANZSBT Guidelines for Pre-Transfusion Laboratory Practice http://www.anzsbt.org.au/publications/
 National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) Requirements for Transfusion Laboratory Practice
http://www.anzsbt.org.au/news/documents/07NPAACReqforTLP.pdf
 Australian Standard for Medical Refrigeration Equipment – For the Storage of Blood and Blood Products (AS3864)
http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store/Details.aspx?ProductID=1600490
 NBA BloodNet http://www.blood.gov.au/bloodnet/
 NBA BloodPortal https://portal.blood.gov.au/
 Flippin’ Blood http://www.transfusion.com.au/sites/default/files/Flippin%20Blood%20ONLINE.pdf
Available resources

31. Adverse event recognition and reporting
 See Jurisdictional programs
 NBA Haemovigilance Reports 2008 http://www.blood.gov.au/haemovigilance/
 National Haemovigilance Data Dictionary http://www.blood.gov.au/haemovigilance/
 Flippin’ Blood http://www.transfusion.com.au/sites/default/files/Flippin%20Blood%20ONLINE.pdf
 ANZSBT Guidelines for the Administration of Blood Products(http://www.anzsbt.org.au/publications/)
Patient information and consent
 See Jurisdictional programs
 The Australian Red Cross Blood Service – Information for Patients www.mytransfusion.com.au
Jurisdictional Programs
 New South Wales – Blood Watch http://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/programs/blood-watch
 Queensland iBlood Management Program http://www.health.qld.gov.au/qhcss/qbmp/
 South Australia – BloodSafe http://www.health.sa.gov.au/bloodsafe/
 Victoria – Blood Matters http://www.health.vic.gov.au/bloodmatters/
 Western Australia Patient Blood Management Program http://www.health.wa.gov.au/bloodmanagement
Available resources

32. www.blood.gov.au
Thank you
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