Organizational impact of governmental audit of blood transfusion services in Norway: A qualitative study

Aud Frøysa Åsprang; Jan C Frich; Geir Sverre Braut

doi:10.1016/j.transci.2015.04.015

Organizational impact of governmental audit of blood transfusion services in Norway: A qualitative study

Transfus Apher Sci. 2015 Oct;53(2):228-32. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.04.015. Epub 2015 Apr 21.

Authors

Aud Frøysa Åsprang¹, Jan C Frich², Geir Sverre Braut³

Affiliations

¹ Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, Oslo, Norway.
² Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
³ Norwegian Board of Health Supervision, Oslo, Norway; Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway. Electronic address: gsb@sus.no.

PMID: 25935295
DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.04.015

Abstract

Little is known about the organizational impact of supervisory activities in blood banks. We did a study with the aim to explore health professional's experiences with the external audit of blood transfusion services in Norway. The audit and supervision brought attention to deficiencies in systems and practices, and had been a catalyst for quality improvement. We identify facilitators and barriers to change. While audits can bring attention to known deficiencies, and trigger improvement processes which previously have not been prioritized, involvement of senior management is important to secure change across departments.

Keywords: Audit; Blood transfusion services; Supervision.

MeSH terms

Blood Transfusion*
Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities*
Delivery of Health Care*
Female
Humans
Male
Norway