More than a year after the unforgettable milestone of becoming the first tissue bank in Vietnam to receive AABB certification for both umbilical cord blood storage and cord tissue activities, Vinmec Tissue Bank is accelerating its journey towards the pinnacle of quality with recognition from the most prestigious international organizations in the field of biobanking.
I. Introduction
The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) is a globally respected organization in the field of accrediting the quality of stem cell storage, focusing on the perfection of quality and safety in the collection, processing, storage, and distribution of cellular therapy products.
In 2022, Vinmec Tissue Bank achieved AABB certification for both (1) Umbilical cord blood activities and (2) Somatic cell/cord tissue activities. This success has positioned Vinmec as a leader, making it one of only two banks in Southeast Asia and one of 24 tissue banks worldwide to achieve certification in both areas of operation.
The AABB certification brings value to both Vinmec and its customers by optimizing organizational management, helping to identify and manage issues related to the quality of tissue and cell products in the most comprehensive way. Just one year after officially receiving the AABB certification, Vinmec Tissue Bank has made significant improvements in technical processes and customer service, as detailed below:
1.Increase in customer satisfaction
The percentage of customers who are "very satisfied" with the service has increased by 3-5%, especially the number of customers rating the service 5 stars for areas such as quick contract procedures, professional consultation staff, and 24/7 hotline availability. To achieve these results, Vinmec Tissue Bank has made substantial changes based on AABB guidelines, increasing the number of bacterial and fungal testing indicators to enhance sample quality reliability, updating product codes to international standards, and especially enhancing communication with customers about sample status to ensure customers' understanding and confidence in the service.
2.Simplifying Procedures – Digital Transformation: Transitioning from paper contracts to digital contracts
The contract signing process is a crucial touchpoint in the customer journey for cord blood/cord tissue stem cell services. In practice, issues arose that affected the management of PAPER CONTRACTS, such as customers needing services at the time of birth or customers who were unable to come to the hospital to sign the contract. Additionally, Biobank received customer feedback about the difficulties in storing paper contracts over many years, with the risk of them being lost or damaged (contracts typically last 10-25 years). In response to this, starting in June 2023, Vinmec Tissue Bank launched a project to transition from paper contracts to digital contracts to enhance the customer experience.
Digital contracts provide convenience, speed, and time and cost savings. Moreover, digital contracts, based on electronic data, offer high transparency and accuracy, making it easier to manage, store, and retrieve.
3. Reducing result reporting time
The time it takes to deliver results to customers after sample processing is an important aspect of the customer experience. Due to the nature of the specialty, stem cell samples require relatively long processing and culture time, while the accompanying result documents also need time for aggregation, review, and explanation. Based on optimization, innovation, and appropriate adjustments to the technical process, the staff at Vinmec Tissue Bank successfully streamlined the process, resulting in significant improvements in reporting time:
- The time to report cord blood results decreased from 50 days to 42 days.
- The time to report cord tissue results decreased from 90 days to 70 days.
4.Ensured sample quality control
After applying AABB standards, quality control parameters for samples were reviewed by AABB experts with the goal of enhancing sample quality control.
Specifically:
- Vinmec Tissue Bank has established checkpoints to minimize risks to samples.
- The sample testing is evaluated more thoroughly from input to output, including an increase in screening tests for pregnant women; an increase in the number of microbiological, fungal, anaerobic, and aerobic testing parameters for samples. These indicators provide clinicians with more information to assess the risk and suitability of the sample before transplantation or infusion, thereby improving treatment effectiveness.
II. Conclusion
With these proud advancements, Vinmec Tissue Bank is gradually establishing itself as a model biobank serving research and healthcare in Vietnam and the region. Vinmec Tissue Bank has been invited by ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories) to present on "The Power of Biobanks in the Era of Precision Medicine" at the 2024 ISBER Annual Conference in Melbourne.
