Preparing for growth: current capacity and challenges in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation programs

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2010 May;16(5):595-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2010.02.010. Epub 2010 Feb 16.

Abstract

During the past decade, the demand for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has grown dramatically, and there are expectations that this will continue or even accelerate over the next decade. This prompts a variety of questions about the ability of the health care system to accommodate the increased demands on transplantation centers; for example, what is the current patient capacity of transplantation programs, and how much elasticity do they have to accept a larger volume of patients? An informal survey of a sample of medical directors of transplantation programs found that existing facilities might be able to increase their patient volume by about 7%. Expanding much beyond that limit will require an infusion of resources to enlarge current programs and/or establish new programs.

MeSH terms

  • Data Collection
  • Health Workforce
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Humans
  • National Health Programs
  • Tissue Banks / organization & administration*
  • Tissue Banks / standards
  • Tissue Banks / trends