BEST‐TEST2: assessment of hematology trainee knowledge of transfusion medicine

Abstract

Given the overall poor performance, this study serves as an impetus for all hematology training programs to reevaluate the quality and quantity of transfusion medicine training and can assist in the development of targeted curricula.

How I reduce the risk of missed irradiation transfusion events in children

“…This can be at least partially attributed to the small amount of transfusion medicine education medical students and residents are provided. In a series of studies on the level of knowledge, Haspel and colleagues created a validated transfusion medicine examination and gave the examination to internal medicine residents and hematology physician trainees. A total of 474 internal medicine residents in nine countries completed the examination with a mean score of 45.7% (range, 10%‐85%) and 149 hematology trainees in seven countries with a mean score of 61.6% (range, 30%‐100%).…”

BEST TEST with MEDIOCRE RESULTS (at best!): a “call to arms” to correct clinician knowledge deficits in transfusion medicine

“…In this issue of TRANSFUSION, Lin and colleagues report on the use of the BEST Collaborative assessment tool to assess education, attitudes, perception of ability, and knowledge associated with transfusion medicine in an international group of individuals receiving training in the subspecialty of hematology. Before this, there were no studies specifically assessing such knowledge in clinical hematology trainees.…”

“…Therefore, clinical experience and bedside education alone do not produce any appreciable positive impact in clinical trainees’ transfusion medicine knowledge, and they are not sufficient to ensure an acceptable knowledge base in transfusion medicine. This situation is disconcerting in light of the fact that 93% of the hematology trainees in the BEST‐TEST2 study had obtained informed consent and 100% will be ordering transfusions for their patients . This current reality is not really that surprising when one considers the education cycle currently in place.…”

“…If general transfusion knowledge is to increase appreciably, this cycle needs to be broken in clinical medicine. The good news is that 87% of the trainees in hematology considered transfusion medicine knowledge to be extremely or very important aspects of what they do . The implementation of enhanced transfusion medicine educational curricula in clinical hematology subspecialty training programs appears to be a proposal that would be well received in this arena.…”

“…This situation is disconcerting in light of the fact that 93% of the hematology trainees in the BEST-TEST2 study had obtained informed consent and 100% will be ordering transfusions for their patients. 17 This current reality is not really that surprising when one considers the education cycle currently in place. If undergraduate medical training only supplies minimal education in transfusion medicine, individuals enter postgraduate training with limited knowledge.…”