Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 067 (ConfProc7) | Published: 23 Jul 2026
Selorm Kwashie Sevor1,&, Mohammed Mustapha Seini1, Deborah Nakuor Boateng1, Ebenezer Adzapa1, Oksana Ryabinina2
1Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Accra, Ghana, 2Department of Chemical Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Selorm Kwashie Sevor, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Accra, Ghana, Email: sselormkwashie@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 23 Jul 2026
Domain: Quality Improvement
Keywords: Blood wastage, Blood products, blood handling practices, Quality improvement, Ghana
©Selorm Kwashie Sevor et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Selorm Kwashie Sevor et al. Impact of quality improvement interventions on blood and blood product wastage at Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):067. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0067
Blood and its components are essential therapeutic resources in modern healthcare, yet inappropriate handling, poor storage, and procedural delays often result in preventable wastage. Such wastage not only compromises patient care but also strains limited blood supplies and increases healthcare costs. Efficient utilization of blood and blood products is therefore critical to ensuring their availability for patients in need. This study assessed the extent and causes of blood and blood product wastage at Greater Accra Regional Hospital and evaluated the effectiveness of targeted interventions implemented to reduce such wastage.
An interventional study was conducted at the hospital’s blood bank to assess the impact of quality improvement measures on blood utilization and wastage. Baseline data were collected retrospectively from 3 months before the intervention and compared with data from 3 months following implementation. The interventions included staff training on blood handling and transfusion practices, improved monitoring of storage temperatures, and strengthened communication between clinical and laboratory units. Data were analysed using SPSS software, applying descriptive and appropriate inferential statistical methods to determine the significance of observed changes.
Blood and blood products data from two comparable 3-month periods were assessed. Pre-intervention (Baseline) wastage was 932/5246 units (26.3%), decreasing to 296/2649 units (8.7%) post-intervention, 67% reduction. Expired units declined from 51.1% to 40.1%, and insufficient-volume wastage was eliminated. Haemolysed, punctured, and clotted units increased. The intervention significantly reduced expired and insufficient-volume wastage (p < 0.05), which is statistically significant, while increases in clotted and haemolysed units were not statistically significant (p>0.05).
The study identified delayed transfusion, improper storage, and procedure cancellations as the leading and largely preventable causes of blood and blood product wastage. Continued staff training, strict adherence to transfusion protocols, and enhanced coordination between clinical and laboratory teams are crucial to sustaining improvements and optimising blood utilization.
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