I was not the supervisor when our Transfusion Committee was formed. It was added onto the Tissue Committee to become the Tissue and Transfusion Committee since no one thinks the physicians would attend two meetings. The committee was formed as a peer review and as such, the pathologist giving the tissue report is on the committee. The Transfusion Service Supervisor (me) does the Blood Utilization report but is not a member of the committee. I am considered a "presenter" because I am not a physician. The QI person who performs the chart audits for compliance with transfusion triggers and appropriate use is also a "presenter" and is not on the committee (again not a physician). This has not particularly been an issue, but recently during a discussion of blood supplier issues and transfusion committee functions, it was pointed out that I am not a member (I also need to be on quality committees for my CQA continuing ed credits). I told my lab director if I am not permitted to speak at this committee, I need a different committee for the Transfusion Service. At the current time we submit patient safety issues to Risk Management and utilization issues to the Tissue and Transfusion Committee. I believe we need a committee for blood bank that addresses all issues regarding the Transfusion Service and blood products. According to several references that I have consulted, including "The Transfusion Committee" by Ira Shulman, AABB Press, the committee should be multidisciplinary, not just physicians. The letters to physicians can still come from the committee chair, who is a physician. What do you think of this design? Is the Blood Bank supervisor or manager on your committee?

Rita

We have a multidisciplinary committee. We have nurses, a perfusionist, doctors, myself, the hematology supervisor, the blood bank medical director, the lab director, the blood conservation coordinator, and someone from QA. We used to have someone from the blood center and I would like to do that again. It is hard to get the physicians to come. They didn't even come when we were feeding them.

How can you not be on committee? You are presenting data so you should have an opportunity to explain or give justification...eg. why your plasma wastage was up(becuase of trauma), Cryo wastage--patient expired.....

these comm. are not to produce some data and charts...they should meet for process improvment not for just sake of meeting.

I strongly believe that if you are not allow to talk then should present this to hospital QA and you can have your own transfusion comm.

yes . . . committee member.

Our committee is multidisciplinary and physician attendance is poor at best. If I wasn't on the committee there would be no agenda or discussion topics. I set the agenda and our Medical Director defers to me to lead the meeting discussions except on a rare occasion. All case specific review is performed by the physician quality committee and if need be I am in invited guest to that meeting.

I want to thank everyone that replied. I took your replies and the "Transfusion Committee" book and the New York Department of Health Guidelines for Transfusion Committees to a meeting last week with our QI department director and others. It was agreed that Blood Bank needed a separate multidisciplinary committee and I am getting to set it up. I really appreciate this forum!

Rita Berry

Congratulations Rita.