Poor Performance on Rh Immunoglobulin Use

Only 56% of Rh-negative pregnant women with sensitizing events were treated appropriately at a single academic emergency department.

The American College of Emergency Physicians proposed administration of Rh immunoglobulin for Rh-negative pregnant women at risk for fetal blood exposure as a voluntary quality measure, and this measure was subsequently endorsed by the National Quality Forum. To determine performance on this measure at an academic emergency department (ED) in St. Louis, investigators reviewed charts and blood bank data for all 808 cases of potential Rh sensitization from 2009 to 2010.

Among 560 patients with a clear sensitizing event, 408 (73%) were tested appropriately and 19 of 34 patients (56%) for whom Rh immunoglobulin was indicated received it. For the remaining 152 patients, either Rh testing was not ordered or there was no documentation that prior Rh…

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Poor Performance on Rh Immunoglobulin Use

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Reviewing Author