PROGRESS OF INSPECTION AND ACCREDITATION ACTIVITY IN THE TOHOKU BRANCH OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY OF TRANSFUSION MEDICINE AND CELL THERAPY -HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK-

Abstract

Third-party inspection and accreditation (I&A) systems were pioneered by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) to assess quality and operational systems in facilities, in an effort to improve the safety of collecting, processing, testing, distributing, and administering blood and blood products. The Tohoku branch of the Japan Society of Blood Transfusion (then JSBT, now JSTMCT), established a regional I&A system in 1998 to improve transfusion safety in accordance with new guidelines from the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare (now the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). In 1999, JSBT created a national I&A subcommittee (under the Institutional Accreditation Committee) to oversee regional I&A activities, thus bringing regional efforts to national standards. Here, we report the Tohoku experience under local and national leadership from the 1990s forward. Encouraging hospital participation and providing adequate training for inspectors are among the challenges faced over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, attention to details in the present must be accompanied by continuous improvement for the decades ahead.