Background: Quality indicators in transfusion medicine are necessary for patient safety and customer satisfaction. The turnaround time (TAT) of issuing red blood cells (RBCs) has emerged as one of the important quality indicator.

Aim: To evaluate the turnaround time (TAT) for the blood components from the time the blood request is received in the blood bank to issuance of the blood. Cases with delayed TATs were further analyzed to determine potential causes for the delays.

Material and Method: A total of 104 emergency cases were issued blood using immediate spin cross match (ISCM) technique over a period of three months. The TAT was evaluated by a team of investigators using standardised electronic timers. Standard TAT was fixed as 30 minutes. Reasons for delayed TAT were found out and analysed

Result: Most of the emergency requests were from surgical departments (72%). Majority of the requests were completed within 11-35 min. 41.34% requests had TAT above standard of 30 minutes. Main causes for delay were improper filling of the blood request and improper labelling of the samples, multiple component demands, short staffing, inadequate or lysed sample.

Conclusion: In spite of the continual emphasis on quality control, it is a challenge to maintain Turnaround Time within acceptable limits even in emergencies. At the physician`s end, it is important to emphasise on the importance of proper filling of request form and sample labelling. In lab, Blood bank personnel should be trained to handle urgent requests by assigning them priority. Moreover, continued education of hospital staff is needed to improve TATs.

Keywords: Turnaround time, immediate spin cross match, quality indicator, root cause analysis , blood transfusion.

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Mitali Sharma