TEN-YEAR PERFORMANCE IN EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR PRE-TRANSFUSION TESTING AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEMATOLOGY AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION, VIETNAM (2016–2025)
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the performance of external quality assessment (EQA) for transfusion immunology testing during the period 2016–2025, analyze the root causes of non-conforming results, and assess the effectiveness of corrective actions.
Study design: Retrospective descriptive study.
Setting and study period: National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Vietnam, from January 2016 to December 2025.
Subjects: All results from 40 EQA surveys organized by the UK National External Quality Assessment Service (UK NEQAS), covering five categories of transfusion immunology testing: ABO blood grouping, Rh(D) typing, compatibility testing, irregular antibody screening, and antibody identification.
Results: The laboratory participated in 40 EQA surveys, comprising a total of 200 individual assessments. Five non-conforming results were identified, with most attributable to reagent-related issues and human factors. Following implementation of corrective actions, no recurrence of the corresponding errors was observed in subsequent EQA surveys.
Conclusions: The laboratory maintained consistently high performance in transfusion immunology testing throughout the study period. Root cause analysis, together with the timely implementation of corrective actions, contributed to continuous quality improvement and enhanced transfusion safety.
Keywords: External quality assessment; pre-transfusion testing; UK NEQAS; quality management.
Keywords
External quality assessment, pre-transfusion testing, UK NEQAS, quality management
Article Details
References
2. UK NEQAS (2021). UK NEQAS Blood Transfusion Laboratory Practice (BTLP) Schemes, PARTICIPANTS’ MANUAL. 2021.
3. SM Knowles, CE Milkins, JF Chapman, et al. Performance of blood transfusion laboratories participating in the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK NEQAS) for Blood Transfusion Laboratory Practice. Transfus Med. 2002, 12(6), 391-401.
4. Mario Plebani. Errors in clinical laboratories or errors in laboratory medicine? Clin Chem Lab Med. 2006, 44(6), 750-759.
5. British Society for Haematology. Guidelines for pre-transfusion compatibility procedures in blood transfusion laboratories. Transfus Med. 2012, 23(1), 3-35.
6. Vu Duc Binh, Hoang Thi Thanh Nga, Nguyen Ha Thanh, et al. Characteristics of unexpected antibodies in patients with blood disorders: Evidence in Vietnam. Transfusion and Apheresis Science. 2024, 63, 103878.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.transci.2024.103878.
7. Tung Quang Nguyen, Nga Thanh Thi Hoang, Hong Thi Hoang, et al. Irregular antibodies in paediatric haematological disorders: Prevalence and characteristics from a Vietnamese tertiary centre. Vox Sanguinis. 2026, 121, 1058-1064.