Improvement of transfusion practice and reduction in red blood cell utilization in Belgian hospitals: Results of a national survey and benchmarking.

Background And Objectives: Belgian health authorities launched a national platform in 2011 to improve the quality of transfusion practices and blood use in Belgian hospitals. No data were available about the quality of hospital transfusion practice at the national level.

Materials And Methods: Three consecutive national surveys (2012, 2014 and 2016) were performed in all 111 Belgian hospitals to assess the degree of implementation of standards in four process domains related to red blood cell (RBC) transfusion: general quality aspects, ordering of RBC, electronic traceability and reporting of adverse events.