“My Profile” is a tool that helps customize your views and filters. Some sets of Standards, specifically Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services and the Standards for Cellular Therapy Services, have more customizable filters than others. After selecting filters using My Profile, those standards that do not apply will be “greyed out”, appearing significantly lighter than those that do apply. All filters will be selected the first time the Portal is used, displaying all possible requirements.
The Standards Portal allows users to apply filters to the Standards in order to limit the display to requirements relevant to the activities which are relevant to your facility.
You can change the filters in your profile as often as you like. Users can adjust their filters on demand, however it is important to keep in mind that users should set the filters to the activities for which they are requesting Accreditation.
We encourage users to mix and match filters to better understand the activities for which accreditation is available. Every time you adjust your profile, the standards will reflect the filters you have selected throughout the Standards.
The portal has a “Remove selected filters” option appearing on each screen to allow you to quickly adjust your settings and revert to the full version of the Standards with everything being considered applicable to your facility.
When you click on the “Guidance” button to the right of each standard, a window will pop up, with further information about that standard. For example, this guidance could provide the rationale for the standard, or why a standard was revised from a previous edition. Guidance may also provide links to a supporting commendable practice, AABB publication, or relevant journal article, as well as practical recommendations on how to conform to a standard. Additionally, the guidance may indicate if variances to the standard have been requested and/or granted in the past.
Guidance will be updated as frequently as new information that supports the standard becomes available.
When you click on the “Help” button you will see a blank form that allows users to submit requests for a standards interpretation to the appropriate Standards Program Unit. Standards interpretations can expand upon the intent of a standard if more guidance is needed than is already provided. The fillable form will allow users to attach supporting documentation as well. Standards interpretations are also considered when new guidance is developed.
The Standards Portal is outfitted with a search bar that allows users to search key words, or standards numbers. The search function works just like it does in a word document, excel spreadsheet, or pdf.
The Standards can be printed as a single document. However, the printed copy will not include the guidance or other functionality of the Standards Portal. In addition, updates to the Standards will be delivered through the portal, so a printed copy may not be current.
Interim standards, emergent standards and new guidance will be communicated by email to users who have purchased access to the Standards Portal. Also, an icon in the portal will indicate a newly revised standard or updated guidance.
In the portal, there is a navigation bar that allows users to jump from chapter to chapter or from section to section. When you click on a parent standard, all cascading sub-standards will appear on the screen.
All links in the standards are live and clickable. Any link to a referenced federal regulation will take users to the most recent version of that regulation. Also, standards that are cross referenced within the requirements will be clickable to allow users to jump from one standard to another. If you notice that a link is not working, please contact the Standards Department via email at standards@aabb.org.
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