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?:abstract
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BACKGROUND: COVID‐19 convalescent plasma (CCP) represents an appealing approach to the treatment of patients with infections due to SARS‐CoV‐2. We endeavored to quickly establish a sustainable CCP transfusion program for a regional network of healthcare facilities. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A regional collaborative group was activated to address the issues necessary to implementing a CCP transfusion program and making the program sustainable. A wide range of healthcare providers including physicians (critical care, infectious disease, transfusion medicine), nurses, pharmacists, laboratorians, and information technology specialists were required to make the program a success. RESULTS: The CCP implementation team initially consisted of 4 members but quickly grew to a group of nearly 20 participants based on different issues related to program implementation. Overall, 6 major implementation “themes” were addressed: (1) registration of individual hospitals and principle investigators with a national investigational new drug research protocol, (2) collaboration with a regional blood donor center, (3) targeted recruitment of convalesced donors, (4) information technology issues related to all aspects of CCP ordering, distribution, and transfusion, (5) prioritization of patients to receive CCP, and (6) evaluation of CCP products including antibody characteristics and patient response to therapy. CONCLUSION: Within 4 weeks of initiation, CCP was successfully transfused at multiple hospitals in our regional healthcare delivery system. A program infrastructure was established that will make this program sustainable into the future. This approach has broader implications for the success of multi‐institutional programs requiring rapid implementation.
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