Global Affairs
FACT continues to develop its international collaborations through regional initiatives aimed at providing educational assistance and accreditation activities tailored to the needs of the global communities.
FACT-JACIE Stepwise Accreditation in Latin America
In an effort to provide an incremental approach to accreditation, FACT and JACIE have partnered to offer a stepwise accreditation program in Latin America. This stepwise approach to accreditation would enable programs to focus on their quality systems first and ensure operations for patient and donor safety. The second phase would build on the established foundation to develop a complete quality management program and provide for efficacious care. The final step evaluates the effectiveness of the quality program, ensures reporting to the appropriate regulatory and accrediting agencies, and evaluates clinical outcomes. The first FACT-JACIE Stepwise Inspection is scheduled to be conducted in Argentina on November 20-21, 2018.
India
A broad group of ten participating bone marrow transplant centers throughout India is participating in the new India Working Group designed to address the regional needs of the country. The centers are completing self-assessments of their programs to identify any potential barriers to compliance with FACT Standards, clarify the intent of requirements, and assess their readiness for accreditation.
Asia-Pacific
A FACT Standards and Accreditation Workshop was held on November 2, 2018 during the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group (APBMT) in Taipei, Taiwan. Presentations included the importance of integrating a quality management system throughout the clinical, collection and cell processing activities; the accreditation experience of the National University Health System in Singapore; the incentives for seeking international accreditation from the Tata Medical Center in Kolkata; and the need for standardization and accreditation in China.
Brazil
Following the execution of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August, FACT and the Sociedade Brasileira de Transplante de Medula Óssea (SBTMO) created a FACT-SBTMO Task Force. The first meeting of the Task Force was conducted on October 17, 2018 to review the strategic goals and operational aspects of the joint FACT-SBTMO Accreditation Program. A survey of the Brazil transplant centers will be distributed in November to gather data related to the volume and type of transplants performed, program structure, personnel, facilities, and quality management systems. The information will be used to identify areas of educational need and ascertain readiness for accreditation.
