Quality‐control Approach to Improve Donor Care

The operation of any donor center should include provision for the protection of the individual who reacts adversely to the withdrawal of blood. No center can expect an absence of reactions and every center should try to reduce the frequency of reactions to a minimum. A quality‐control system was adapted to monitor reaction incidence based upon the average incidence in that particular center. When the frequency of reactions consistently exceeds the tolerance zone, poor reaction control is indicated. The most practical design for a phlebotomy area was found to be three beds that permitted the use, alternately, of either one or two beds for bleeding and, simultaneously either one or two beds for donor recovery. This achieved rapid blood collections without increasing the frequency of reactions. Reaction‐prone donors are best identified through history of having reacted adversely to an earlier blood collection. Donors reacting away from the bed had greater risk of injury than those reacting on the bed. Observation and more care kept the incidence of reaction in hazardous areas at a low level. The quality control system proved useful in assuring proper and safe operation of the blood bank and in improving donor care.