Reducing blood product wastage through the inter-hospital redistribution of near-outdate inventory: Article Highlights
Written By:
Tracy Cameron & Kimberly Schonewille – Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN)
A recent paper published in Transfusion Journal by Hajjaj et al. (2024) examined an innovative approach to tackling inter-hospital redistribution of near-outdate blood products. The study conducted in Ontario, Canada, showcases the effectiveness of a province-wide program aimed at minimizing waste and optimizing resource utilization.
The Concern with Blood Product Wastage
Hospitals maintain blood product inventories to meet unpredictable demand. Surplus inventory may outdate before being allocated to a recipient. In Canada, blood product outdating is the largest contributor to blood wastage.
The Redistribution Program
To address this challenge, the Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN) in partnership with the Factor Concentrate Redistribution Program (FCRP) launched a blood product redistribution program in 2012. The initiative involves monitoring and transferring blood products from low-usage to high-usage hospitals prior to expiring. The program operates with two validated transport container configurations based on acceptable shipping temperatures, ensuring safe and effective transportation of blood products.
Between 2012 and 2020, the program successfully redistributed 15,499 blood products through 3,412 shipments, preventing the potential loss of approximately $17.6 million worth of inventory. The total cost of operations, including shipping and staffing, was just over $44,900—significantly lower than the savings achieved.
Challenges and Outcomes
While the program proves highly cost-effective, some challenges have emerged. Transport failures led to the discard of 816 products, amounting to $388,200 in losses. The primary reason for these failures was courier transport delays, which accounted for 62% of unsuccessful shipments. Other failures identified were improper packaging/broken seals (26%), temperature check failures (5%), lost shipments (4%) and damaged packages (3%).
Despite these setbacks, the program demonstrated an overall success rate with minimal losses relative to the total savings.
Introduction of Program Improvements
The program adapted over time to enhance efficiency. Hospitals were provided with online reporting tools to track inventory expiry (less than 6 months), and shipping protocols were refined to reduce errors. However, external disruptions—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—highlighted the need for contingency planning to maintain redistribution process during crises.
Conclusion
Redistribution programs help maximize the use of available blood inventory and reduce wastage. They promote efficient blood management and should be considered by regions without such an initiative. These programs must align with regulatory and best practice requirements, transportation infrastructure, and geographic challenges. Additionally, they should be flexible enough to adapt during periods of decreased blood usage, such as pandemic or supply shortages. ORBCoN provides a blueprint for other regions to use to implement a redistribution program.