Reducing perioperative red blood cell unit issue orders, returns, and waste using failure modes and effects analysis.

Background: Surgical transfusion has an outsized impact on hospital-based transfusion services, leading to blood product waste and unnecessary costs. The objective of this study was to design and implement a streamlined, reliable process for perioperative blood issue ordering and delivery to reduce waste.

Study Design And Methods: To address the high rates of surgical blood issue requests and red blood cell (RBC) unit waste at a large academic medical center, a failure modes and effects analysis was used to systematically examine perioperative blood management practices.