NHS Blood and Transplant is trialing US software that could give hospitals in England and Wales more information about their use of blood.
Four teaching hospitals in England are using America’s Blood Centers’ Appropriate Inventory Management system to collect data about the clinical use of blood transfusions and to compare their blood use against that of hospitals elsewhere.
Lynda Hamlyn, chief executive of NHSBT, said: “We hope that the trial will provide valuable insights into how blood is used in hospitals, whilst maintaining patient confidentiality.”
The four trusts involved – Dudley Group of Hospitals, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, University Hospital of South Manchester, and Oxford University Hospitals – are using software called AIM II.
One of the aims of the trial will be to demonstrate that it can function well over their different IT systems.
Hamlyn said: “This new source of information will be used by hospitals to maximise the use of blood and minimise unnecessary transfusions.
“It will also help NHSBT to improve how it plans and collects sufficient amounts of blood so that together we can continue to ensure a sustainable blood supply for the patients of the future.”
AIM II is based on a benchmarking system developed by NHSBT and expanded by America’s Blood Centers’, which has added further functions. The US organisation says the software can reduce blood related cost by 15% or more.
“Safe and efficient use of blood is the top priority of both transfusion programmes and hospitals,” said chief executive Jim MacPherson.
“This new software will allow NHSBT to continue to serve as one of the world’s best and most visionary blood programmes.”
The Department of Health recently reviewed NHSBT, and said that while it was making great strides in improving blood management processes, it still needed to make sure that variations in blood transfusion practices are understood and, where possible, minimised.