In 1818, James Blundell performed the first successful human blood transfusion in a woman with postpartum hemorrhage. Nearly 200 years later, about 15 million red blood cell (RBC) units are transfused annually in the United States. Many of these transfusions occur in the intensive care unit (ICU), where up to 30-50% of patients are transfused. Despite the frequency of RBC transfusions, there is little evidence that transfusions benefit patients.
Patient engagement is one of the hottest topics around.
The benefits of giving up data once considered secret in the name of patient safety and quality improvement were lauded at the annual John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards when the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission chose two consortia among its honorees.
Healthcare can be a competitive industry, with individual hospitals and organizations unwilling to share information.