Factors affecting the frequency of red blood cell outdates: an approach to establish benchmarking targets.

Background: Benchmarking is a useful tool to identify best practices and to compare an organization's performance with that of similar peers, allowing for continuous quality improvement. In this study, a provincial database of red blood cell (RBC) product inventory/disposition in hospitals was analyzed to identify factors that affected RBC outdates and to systematically establish optimal target levels for RBC outdates.

Study Design And Methods: RBC inventory/disposition data for a 21-month period from 156 hospitals were analyzed using logistic regression techniques to identify factors that affected RBC outdating (month of the year, distance from the blood supplier, monthly transfusion activity, hospital type, and provincial region).

Understanding the meaning of permanent deferral for blood donors.

Background: To ensure the safety of the blood supply, it is necessary to permanently defer blood donors with a repeat-reactive transmissible disease test result. The purpose of this study was to explore the permanent deferral experience from the donor's perspective.

Study Design And Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with donors from two Canadian blood centers who received written notice of permanent deferral in six deferral categories: human immunodeficiency virus-1 and/or -2 and hepatitis C virus and/or hepatitis B virus (negative, indeterminate, or positive).

Bleeding risks associated with inheritance of the Quebec platelet disorder.

Quebec platelet disorder (QPD) is an autosomal dominant bleeding disorder associated with increased urokinase-type plasminogen activator in platelets and alpha-granule protein degradation. To determine bleeding risks and common manifestations of QPD, a history questionnaire was developed and administered to 127 relatives in a family with QPD. Data entry was done blinded to affected and unaffected status, determined by assays for platelet urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and fibrinogen degradation.

Burden of dysthymia and comorbid illness in adults in a Canadian primary care setting: high rates of psychiatric illness in the offspring.

Background: The burden of comorbid dysthymia and other comorbid psychiatric illnesses in a Canadian primary care setting was measured. Two groups of primary care patients: those who scored positive for comorbid dysthymia versus those who scored negative for any psychiatric disorder were compared.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey in a Health Service Organization (HSO) in Ontario, Canada.