Ann Lab Med.  2013 Jul;33(4):268-273. 10.3343/alm.2013.33.4.268.

Economic and Workflow Analysis of a Blood Bank Automated System

• Shin KH
• Kim HH
• Chang CL
• Lee EY

• KMID: 1707234
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2013.33.4.268

Abstract

BACKGROUND
This study compared the estimated costs and times required for ABO/Rh(D) typing and unexpected antibody screening using an automated system and manual methods.
METHODS
The total cost included direct and labor costs. Labor costs were calculated on the basis of the average operator salaries and unit values (minutes), which was the hands-on time required to test one sample. To estimate unit values, workflows were recorded on video, and the time required for each process was analyzed separately.
RESULTS
The unit values of ABO/Rh(D) typing using the manual method were 5.65 and 8.1 min during regular and unsocial working hours, respectively. The unit value was less than 3.5 min when several samples were tested simultaneously. The unit value for unexpected antibody screening was 2.6 min. The unit values using the automated method for ABO/Rh(D) typing, unexpected antibody screening, and both simultaneously were all 1.5 min. The total cost of ABO/Rh(D) typing of only one sample using the automated analyzer was lower than that of testing only one sample using the manual technique but higher than that of testing several samples simultaneously. The total cost of unexpected antibody screening using an automated analyzer was less than that using the manual method.
CONCLUSIONS
ABO/Rh(D) typing using an automated analyzer incurs a lower unit value and cost than that using the manual technique when only one sample is tested at a time. Unexpected antibody screening using an automated analyzer always incurs a lower unit value and cost than that using the manual technique.

Keyword

Blood bank; Automation; Laboratory

MeSH Terms

ABO Blood-Group System/blood
Antibodies/analysis
Automation
Blood Banks/*economics/*standards
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching/*economics/instrumentation
Costs and Cost Analysis
Humans
Rh-Hr Blood-Group System/blood
*Workflow
Workload
ABO Blood-Group System
Antibodies
Rh-Hr Blood-Group System

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Total costs of different ABO/Rh(D) blood typing methods.*Test cost per sample when 1 sample was tested at a time during regular working hours; †Test cost per sample when 5 samples were tested simultaneously during regular working hours; ‡Test cost per sample when 12 samples were tested simultaneously during regular working hours; §Test cost per sample when 1 sample was tested at a time during unsocial working hours.

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