"Are my blood products coming?": Implementation of a novel blood product tracker in the electronic health record system.

Background: Blood transfusions are the most common procedure performed in American hospitals. The steps required for blood product delivery are often misunderstood by providers, leading to numerous phone calls to the blood bank requesting order status. Distracting calls can lengthen turnaround time, especially during blood product or staff shortages.

Transfusion Safety Officers in the United States: Survey of characteristics and approaches to implementation.

Background: Transfusion safety officers (TSO) function as liaisons between the blood bank and clinical staff, utilizing audits, quality improvement, reviews, communication, education, and general vigilance to enhance transfusion safety. While hospitals in Europe and Canada have long employed TSOs, a majority of institutions in the United States (US) have yet to implement this resource, despite the mounting evidence to support their effectiveness.

Study Design And Methods: An anonymous 20-question survey was administered to 104 hospitals with valid email contact information.