Tim West

Our existing SOP classifies any loss of consciousness (LOC) as being a severe reaction. However, our new Medical Director is of the mindset that a more definitive assessment of the LOC is required. She feels that a LOC of a couple seconds could be classified as a moderate reaction as opposed to severe. Does anyone have an SOP that clearly defines when a LOC would fall into a moderate vs severe classification? Any assistance or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Does anyone have an SOP and/or a Site Evaluation Tool that they would be willing to share that could be modified for our center to use in assessing sites for mobile blood drives? Another helpful option would be if anyone could direct me to an online source that may provide some insight into the tools we're seeking. As always, thank you for any assistance you can offer!

We had our AABB assessment last week and two issues came up that I'd like some feedback on. 1. Standard 5.2.2.1: Informing donors of circumstances when infectious disease testing is not performed. Our consent states that testing will be conducted based on our ability to prepare a usable product from the donation. It was felt that this statement is not sufficient given the fact that the average donor is not aware that testing is not performed on low volume (short) units. How do other blood banks address this issue? 2. After the 2nd arm prep we position a sterile gauze pad over the site exerting enough pressure to make sure the pad sticks to the prepped site. The question was raised as to whether we should be putting any pressure on the edges of the gauze when it is placed. The suggestion was made that we just allow the prep to air dry and not use a gauze pad at all. When are other locations doing? Thank you!