Evaluating Inventory Management Policies of Platelets at Regional-Block Blood Centers in Japan

With the decreasing proportion of blood donors to patients undergoing transfusion in Japan, optimal blood-product management is becoming increasingly important. Accordingly, we evaluate blood-product inventory management by means of mathematical optimization techniques. Using numerical analyses, we determine the effect of differences in the priority of collections on the units of discarded platelets, and demonstrate the impact of safety-stock levels upon these units. Our results suggest that policymakers should implement the following measures to minimize their disposal rates. Regional-block blood centers with significant fluctuations in demand must generate schedules that minimize both the units of platelets collected, and those interchanged to the maximal extent. Conversely, centers with smaller fluctuations in demand must generate schedules wherein a constant number of platelets is collected every day. Safety-stock levels should be revised in accordance with demands. Furthermore, our policy proposals should be able to mitigate social damage to the blood-supply chain over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.