Managing change.

BACKGROUND

In the 1980s, the Administrative Section Coordinating Committee (ASCC) published a series of administrative manuals to assist the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) membership in developing processes for administrative activities conducted in a hospital or blood center. These manuals covered topics such as finance, inventory, information systems, and other areas that provide the infrastructure to support operations. In 2004, the ASCC adopted a plan to create a new set of documents addressing the AABB Quality System Essentials (QSEs) from an administrative viewpoint. In the past 30 years, blood banking has made significant strides in donor and patient safety with the addition of tests for infectious diseases, increased regulations, and the introduction of new technologies, as well as a focus on quality. The demands of managing and documenting all of these important advances and the frequency with which these changes have occurred have challenged our industry.

STUDY DESIGN

While many articles and books are available for managing change in general, this article applies several aspects of the QSEs as a practical foundation for managing change in donor centers, hospital blood banks, and transfusion services.

CONCLUSION

Utilizing this systematic guide to manage change can not only facilitate the change process but help to guard against unforeseen consequences.