Regional
Hospitality matters! Japanese Red Cross Tokyo Yaesu plasma collection room is trying to offer best donor experiences
Noriko Yano
The Japanese Red Cross, Tokyo, Japan
Noriko Namba
The Japanese Red Cross, Tokyo, Japan
Kohei Kanda
The Japanese Red Cross, Tokyo, Japan
The Japanese Red Cross (JRC), the only blood service in Japan, collected 1.28 million litters of source plasma in 2021. However, the self-sufficiency rate of albumin and immunoglobulin has not yet reached 100% in Japan. With the aim of increasing domestic plasma supply, in 2023, JRC opened three plasma collection sites in 3 metropolitan cities, namely Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The Tokyo Metropolitan Blood Center operates the Tokyo Yaesu plasma collection room (TYPC), which is located in front of Tokyo terminal station.
TYPC has 162.13 m2 floor space. Reception area is designed with a modern Japanese atmosphere (Fig.1-1, 1-2). Desks with outlets are offered so that donors can work before and after their donation (Fig. 2). Appointment only policy minimizes their waiting time, and X (X corp, San Francisco CA, USA) is effectively used to fill vacant reservation slots immediately (Fig.3).
Figure: 1.1
Figure: 1.2
Figure: 2
Figure: 3
One hematology analyzer (XN-550, Sysmex, Japan) and 14 apheresis devices (CCS, Haemonetics Japan K.K., Japan, and 12 donor chairs are in operation. Donor chairs are reclinable, movable up and down, and equipped with extra functions such as outlet, USB port, tablet to watch movies, and heaters around donor’s legs. (Fig. 4).
Figure: 4
Also, donors can enjoy the beautiful view of the Tokyo terminal station from their donation chairs (Fig. 5). We occasionally extend the operation time in the evening, so that donors can come to donate after their on-duty hours and can enjoy the beautiful night view, a completely different experience from that at the daytime (Fig. 6).
Figure: 5
Figure: 6
Donor eligibility criteria and collecting procedures are similar to that of platelet donors in Japan. At least one doctor is required to be present at the collection site by law. Blood collection procedures are conducted by qualified nurses under doctor’s supervision. All doctors and nurses involved in blood donation are required to finish a designated training, which includes training related to adverse events of blood donation. Safe blood collection is an important mission of the JRC blood services, and the highly skilled and experienced nurses at blood collection rooms are proudly involved in donor care during apheresis procedures. Reception staff also receive basic training related to adverse events of blood donation as part of their training process. Enough water is offered to donors before donation, and all staff cooperate to make donors experience a comfortable and relaxing stay prior, during and after the donation. As a result, the incidence of vaso-vagal reaction, an important adverse event associated with blood collection, was as low as 0.82% at the TYPC in the period May to December 2023.
Based on the best knowledge, technology and hospitality, we hope to further improve donor experience while donating blood, and as a result, improve plasma supply in Japan. Increasing donor satisfaction may increase donor return for repeated donations, resulting in stable supply of plasma.
