Incidence Rate of Therapeutic Apheresis: Analysis of a Therapeutic Apheresis Database to Use as a Benchmarking Tool

Benchmarking in apheresis medicine focuses on the collection of hematopoietic cells, where specific key performance indicators have been recommended to be used as an internal quality control of processes. The aim of this study was to collect data regarding the number of therapeutic apheresis procedures performed in Catalonia, Spain, and to compare this data with those from other countries. A database was created to collect therapeutic apheresis procedures from 2019 to 2023 in Catalonia, Spain. Similar articles about this topic were obtained using Medical Subject Headings in PubMed. To compare therapeutic apheresis performance among countries, the incidence rate of therapeutic apheresis was calculated as the number of therapeutic apheresis procedures per 1000 people per year. In a 5-year period, 26 897 therapeutic apheresis were performed in a 7.6 million population with an incidence rate of therapeutic apheresis of 0.71 per 1000 people per year. The incidence rate varied by as much as 10.1 times among the studies, from 0.07 in a USA study to 0.71 in the present study. When only European studies were compared, the incidence rate varied by as much as 1.65 times among the studies, from 0.43 in a Norwegian study to 0.71 in the present study. We report for the first time the therapeutic apheresis activity performed in Catalonia, Spain. Moreover, the incidence rate of therapeutic apheresis, calculated as the number of therapeutic apheresis procedures performed per 1000 people per year, is an objective indicator, easy to calculate, that can help in benchmarking therapeutic apheresis utilization.