Supplemental findings from the National Blood Collection and Utilization Surveys, 2013 and 2015.

Abstract

Blood is a critical, life-saving resource in many clinical scenarios and ensuring the safety and adequacy of the blood supply is integral to public health and patient care. Therefore, monitoring and understanding the nature of the changes in blood collection and use are important to ensure the adequacy of the national blood supply. Blood collections and transfusions in the United States have declined since 2008.1,2 From 1997–2011, the National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) was conducted biennially by AABB, with support from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the primary aim of quantifying blood collection and utilization in the United States.3–6 The survey has been conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with OASH1,2 since 2013. In addition to questions designed to elicit the quantity of blood and blood components collected, processed, tested, distributed and transfused, the NBCUS contains several sections relevant to blood supply safety and adequacy. These include: blood donor and donation characteristics, blood inventory and supply, blood product costs, PLT-related testing, transfusion dosing, clinical use, hospital policies and practices related to transfusion services and donor and recipient adverse reactions. The survey has been modified periodically to provide better characterization of blood collection and use and additional insight into healthcare delivery, clinical practices, and adoption of health-related technologies in the United States. The information generated from the survey has been used to guide public health policy, preparedness and emergency response efforts to ensure blood supply sustainability.7 Findings from the 2013 and 2015 NBCUS surveys related to collection, processing, distribution and transfusion of blood products have been published previously and in this supplement.1,2 The remaining findings of these two surveys are presented here.