Process Mining Uncovers Actionable Patterns of Red Blood Cell Unit Wastage in a Health Care Network

• Published in: Transfusion medicine reviews 2024-07, Vol.38 (3), p.150827, Article 150827
• Main Authors: Callaghan, Neal I, Quinn, Jason, Liwski, Robert, Chisholm, Natalie, Cheng, Calvino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood product; Informatics; Inventory; Logistics; Transfusion
• ISSN: 0887-7963; 1532-9496; 1532-9496
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmrv.2024.150827

•Red blood cell transfusions are critical to health care but require complex logistics.•Process mining can assess efficiency and challenges in a Transfusion Medicine service.•Trends in blood product wastage were identified for future targeted intervention. Packed red blood cell transfusions are integral to the care of the critically and chronically ill patient, but require careful storage and a large, coordinated network to ensure their integrity during distribution and administration. Auditing a Transfusion Medicine service can be challenging due to the complexity of this network. Process mining is an analytical technique that allows for the identification of high-efficiency pathways through a network, as well as areas of challenge for targeted innovation. Here, we detail a case study of an efficiency audit of the Transfusion Medicine service of the Nova Scotia Health Administration Central Zone using process mining, across a period encompassing years prior to, during, and after the acute COVID-19 pandemic. Service efficiency from a product wastage perspective was consistently demonstrated at benchmarks near globally published optima. Furthermore, we detail key areas of continued challenge in product wastage, and suggest potential strategies for further targeted optimization.