How is BeQuinT supporting the Belgian hospitals to improve quality in transfusion practice and implement patient blood management?

SUMMARY

The Belgian health authorities created Belgian Quality in Transfusion (BeQuinT) in 2011 to gather experts to improve the quality of transfusion practices in Belgian hospitals. Its mission is also optimising care for patients who might need transfusion through implementation of Patient Blood Management (PBM). Its policy is based on creating and improving financial incentives, developing data-driven and IT-based tools, and providing education and guidance. In this way, BeQuinT attempts to overcome the challenges faced by clinicians and transfusion committees in implementing PBM. In clinical haematology, one of the additional challenges is the need for an individual transfusion approach taking into account the patient’s quality of life and practical aspects of care for chronically transfused patients. In this paper, an overview is presented of the past activities of BeQuinT and PBM implementation challenges followed by a brief focus on PBM in haematology.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2022;13(7):263–8)