Despite an array of initiatives designed to support the delivery of safe and appropriate transfusion practice, incidences of patients receiving the wrong blood continue to be reported. Nurses play a key role in delivering safe and appropriate transfusion care and have a responsibility to support national initiatives, such as the NHS Better Blood Transfusion programme of action and the National Patient Safety Agency Safer Practice Notice 14, Right Patient, Right Blood. This article examines factors, which impact on the successful implementation of a programme aimed at promoting best transfusion practice, such as organizational support, leadership, education and competency assessment, and the role of audit and feedback. By championing the systematic assessment of transfusion procedures, the implementation of education and guidelines and the use of innovative approaches, such as care bundles, we can ensure that nurses have the appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding to provide the highest standards of transfusion care to our patients.
After the Department of Health's Better Blood Transfusion recommendations ( DH 2002 ) ten years ago, a network of 18 transfusion practitioners supported by a central team in the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service was established. This article discusses the impact that transfusion practitioners in Scotland have had in driving local transfusion teams to promote safe and effective transfusion practice across Scotland. They have done this through education, audit and raising awareness of current guidelines.
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