By September 2017, Xie Dong Fu, a physician of Clinical Services of Shang Blood Center (SBC), finished a six month training program for transfusion physicians at Bloodworks, and received the certification for qualified trainee.

As an outstanding institution on transfusion medicine in the US, Bloodworks is famous for its training program targeted at transfusion physicians. The physicians and scientists of Medical Services in Bloodworks hold appointments in either Hematology or Laboratory Medicine at University of Washington (UW), and they offer training for Laboratory Medicine residents and Hematology fellows from UW.

At Bloodworks, Dr. Xie received comprehensive training on transfusion medicine. The main points are the medical services provided for hospital, the report procedure of adverse events relevant to blood transfusion and blood donation, or haemovigilance, and the development of training programs for transfusion physicians.

Bloodworks is a blood center as well as a transfusion service in metropolitan Seattle, which is a special centralized transfusion service model. This approach has used four laboratories to serve over 20 hospitals and clinics, providing greater capabilities for all at a lower consumption of resources. In addition, this centralized model has facilitated wider use of the medical capabilities of the blood center’s physicians. For example, patients and physicians at Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center all benefit from enhanced quality of care through on-site labs staffed by Bloodworks specialists. This centralized transfusion model has withstood the test of time and continues to evolve to meet new situations and ensure optimal patient care.

During the course of training, Dr. Xie got through the whole fellow training schedule for transfusion physicians, which included a number of lectures of transfusion medicine and sufficient transfusion services practice. Together with residents from UW, Dr. Xie got the opportunity to be directly involved in the medical services for the hospital, including clinical transfusion decisions, consultation services for clinicians, the bedside practice of therapy apheresis, and the management of transfusion reaction. As a member of the haemovigilance group, Dr. Xie took part in haemovigilance work at Bloodworks, including reviewing the report of transfusion reactions and complications related to blood donation.

Besides participating in the medical services, Dr. Xie observed all the main procedures of blood services, including blood collecting, processing, testing, inventory management, distribution, internal auditing, quality management, and human resources. Through excellent communication with the personnel of each section, Dr. Xie attained an in-depth understanding on the advanced system of blood services in US.

At Bloodworks, Dr. Xie received a warm reception and thoughtful arrangements. News of his visit was posted on the Newsletter of Bloodworks, and he was invited to give a speech on Chinese Culture and Blood Banking in China. The series of speeches were carried out at the headquarters of Bloodworks, product center, research institute, and the Lane Blood Center in Eugene and received overwhelmingly positive responses. Besides that, Dr. Xie also took part in a few voluntary events, such as recruiting blood donors on the street, watching a baseball game together with blood donors, etc. The different culture and practices in the improvement of blood donation provided many inspirations and references.    

Bloodworks has had a long and distinguished reputation for providing education to blood banking specialists from around the world for many years.  Shanghai Blood Center (SBC) is also an outstanding blood service facility in China, and as the only WHO Collaborating Center for Blood Transfusion Services (WHOCC-BTS) in China, SBC is committed to scientific research, education and training, and exchange and collaboration with international organizations and institutions to promote blood safety. Dr. Xie’s visit will deepen the connections between Bloodworks and SBC to improve the cooperation of both institutions on transfusion physician training programs in China.

Reported by Dongfu XIE

Edited by Kurt Lee

Dr Xie gives a speech on Chinese Culture and Blood Banking in China

Dr. Xie gets practice in transfusion services