ERROR-DETECTION AND REDUCTION IN BLOOD BANKING

Human error has been recognized as the most significant cause of morbi dity and mortality in transfusion medicine. Errors have been defined a s any unapproved deviation from standard operating procedure. Error ma nagement is a system to recognize errors, collect information about th ese events, analyze the information objectively, take action designed to prevent recurrence, and determine the success of those corrective m easures. This article reviews a monitoring approach used by the author s, which includes a strong organizational structure, well-defined proc ess parameters, personal training and competency, and analysis mechani sms for correction and prevention of errors.