Introduction: Physician supervision of apheresis contributes to safe and high-quality patient care. Literature is limited regarding the requirements for hospital privileges of physicians providing apheresis services. This report provides recommendations from the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) regarding this topic.
Materials and methods: The ASFA Public Affairs Committee was charged by the society's Board of Directors (BOD) to work collaboratively with other ASFA committees to develop guidance pertaining to requirements for hospital privileges of physicians in apheresis medicine. After review of the literature and discussions with members from diverse practice environments, draft guidance was created and circulated among pertinent parties for comment and revision. The final document, approved by the BOD in 2011, is presented herein.
Results: Assurance of patient safety was the paramount focus in the deliberations. Establishment and maintenance of physician competency in the discipline of apheresis medicine, and the documentation thereof, were consensus priorities. The importance of care teams involving non-physicians and the support structures within hospitals were also identified as other important contributors to patient safety.
Conclusion: Patient safety during therapeutic apheresis involves both practitioners' and institutional provision of care aspects. Physician training experiences, medical licensing, and board certification status, along with continuing medical education and participation in risk management/patient safety projects are characteristic facets of physician competency in the provision of quality apheresis medicine interventions. Documentation of such indicators may help in medical staff deliberations regarding physician privileging in the oversight and management of apheresis medicine activities in hospitals.
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