The 31st edition of AABB Standards was effective in April 2018. Fortunately, Pat Ooley, Chair of the BBTS Standards Committee, is here with the Top 5 changes you need to know!

Pat Ooley

Every two years, like it or not, our friends at the AABB issue a brand-new version of their set of “the latest standards of practice in transfusion medicine.” The publication is known as Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, though we usually just call it “Standards” for short. The 31st edition went live on April 1, 2018 (some, not me, of course, would say there is something poetic about the Standards being effective on April Fool’s Day…), and it contained a number of important changes.

Bring on the Expert!

I decided to ask someone who is intimately involved in the process of the development of the new Standards to join me to talk about the five most important changes in the 31st edition. I was really happy to have Pat Ooley, the Chair of the Blood Bank Transfusion Service Standards Committee, with me to share his great wisdom and “insider’s perspective” on this topic. While we talked all about the “Top 5,” Pat also took some time in this interview to help us understand the role of this publication that impacts literally hundreds and hundreds of transfusion and donor facilities in the US and a few international countries. He also walked us through the entire process on how new and revised Standards come into existence.

The Top 5!

Here are the top 5 changes Pat and I discussed in this episode:

  1. Donor iron management; 5.2.1 (not actually a change but an emphasis)
  2. Classifying adverse events; 7.3
  3. Transportation requirements for platelets; 5.1.8A
  4. Use of Low-titer Group O Whole Blood; 5.15.1
  5. “Two-sample requirement” for ABO confirmation; 5.14.5 (this one is the most controversial)

Pat Ooley

Every two years, like it or not, our friends at the AABB issue a brand-new version of their set of “the latest standards of practice in transfusion medicine.” The publication is known as Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, though we usually just call it “Standards” for short. The 31st edition went live on April 1, 2018 (some, not me, of course, would say there is something poetic about the Standards being effective on April Fool’s Day…), and it contained a number of important changes.

Bring on the Expert!

I decided to ask someone who is intimately involved in the process of the development of the new Standards to join me to talk about the five most important changes in the 31st edition. I was really happy to have Pat Ooley, the Chair of the Blood Bank Transfusion Service Standards Committee, with me to share his great wisdom and “insider’s perspective” on this topic. While we talked all about the “Top 5,” Pat also took some time in this interview to help us understand the role of this publication that impacts literally hundreds and hundreds of transfusion and donor facilities in the US and a few international countries. He also walked us through the entire process on how new and revised Standards come into existence.

The Top 5!

Here are the top 5 changes Pat and I discussed in this episode:

  1. Donor iron management; 5.2.1 (not actually a change but an emphasis)
  2. Classifying adverse events; 7.3
  3. Transportation requirements for platelets; 5.1.8A
  4. Use of Low-titer Group O Whole Blood; 5.15.1
  5. “Two-sample requirement” for ABO confirmation; 5.14.5 (this one is the most controversial)

About My Guest:

Patrick Ooley is the Chair of the AABB Blood Bank and Transfusion Service (BBTS) Standards Committee and is the Senior Corporate Director of Quality for Vitalant (formerly Blood Systems, Inc., or “BSI” at the time of this interview). He is responsible for providing direction and quality oversight for Vitalant field quality management staff for the Blood Services Division including staff at all Vitalant centers and their affiliate, LifeStream. Prior to joining Blood Systems, Pat served as Chief Compliance Officer for the Indiana Blood Center.

Pat is an active participant in the blood banking community. In addition to his duties as chair of the BBTS Standards Committee, he serves on the AABB Global Standards Committee, and the SPC committee. Pat is an AABB assessor, is the past chair of ABC’s Quality Committee, has served on AABB’s COI Task Force, Quality Management Systems subcommittee, Abstract Selection Committee, Annual Program Committee and is a past chair of AABB’s Donor Center Accreditation Program unit.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this episode are those of my guest and I alone, and do not reflect those of the organizations with which either of us is affiliated. Neither Pat nor I have any relevant financial disclosures.

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