Tissue transplantation. Quality assurance in the banking and utilization of musculoskeletal allografts.

Tissue allografts are being used more frequently, and, as a consequence, an increasing number of hospitals and physician assistants must face the difficult and perplexing task of evaluating their effectiveness and safety. Quality assurance programs are designed to enhance patient care during the transplantation process and should outline the responsibilities of both the tissue bank and the hospital using the allograft. Recommendations for the establishment of quality assurance programs at hospitals are made based on guidelines established by national certifying agencies. It is of paramount importance to recognize the areas of responsibility and to delineate acceptable standards of practice when developing and implementing quality assurance programs for tissue transplantation.