Blood Transfusion Practice among Healthcare Personnel in Nepal: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background The complications associated with errors in transfusion practice can be minimized by assessing transfusion practices. In Nepal, there is no standard protocol on blood transfusion. So, this study was conducted with an aim to assess the blood transfusion practice among healthcare personnel. Methods A descriptive observational study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal, over a period of 10 months. Bedside blood transfusion procedures were observed using structured checklist. Results Altogether, 86 observations were made. Time taken from dispatch from the blood bank to transfusion was >2 hours in 53.2% of cases. In majority of the cases, blood was kept in the ward in uncontrolled and unprotected manner by the patients' relatives. Only 8.2% of the patients and/or the relatives were informed about the reasons, associated probable risks (2.4%), and the benefits of transfusion (4.7%). Assessment of vital signs at 15 minutes of initiation of transfusion was done on about 2 to 4% of cases. Conclusion We found a suboptimal blood transfusion practice in Nepal, which could be attributable to substantial knowledge gap among healthcare personnel and the absence of quality culture, quality system, and quality management in the area of blood transfusion practices.

Bedside Blood Transfusion – What Nurses Know and Perform: A Cross-Sectional Study from A Tertiary-Level Cancer Hospital in Rural Kerala

“…al. [ 10 ] and 33.9% by Sapkota et al [ 21 ] from Nepal. Majority (60.70%) of the participants in the present study knew that blood must be returned to blood bank within 30 min if not transfused unlike what was observed by Hijji et al [ 10 ] where 50.0% nurses would transfuse the blood kept in the room temperature even beyond 90 min after delivery to the ward.…”

Knowledge of Nurses Regarding Blood Transfusion at Public Hospitals in Sana'a City-Yemen

“…Blood transfusion has a wellestablished clinical effect in the treatment of anaemia, where it improves oxygen delivery to tissues. (Sapkota et al, 2018). The issues connected with transfusion errors can be reduced by monitoring transfusion processes.…”

“…The issues connected with transfusion errors can be reduced by monitoring transfusion processes. Standard guidelines or rules addressing important procedures of blood transfusion management, such as screening donor blood for infectious diseases, establishing the necessity for transfusion, and determining ABO compatibility, are utilized in many countries (Sapkota et al 2018). The majority of transfusion errors are caused by human factors, which can be avoided with proper training and transfusion procedure updates (Dasaraju & Subraya 2017).…”

Safe Blood Transfusion Practices among Nurses in a Major Referral Center in Ghana

“…A previous observational prospective study similarly found that 72% of the participants did not obtain informed consent from the patients and family before initiating blood transfusion [ 17 ]. Another observational study of two tertiary hospitals in Nepal also found that 2.4%–8.2% of 86 observations of blood transfusions done involved informing patients and family of reasons for transfusion, benefits, and potential risks whilst seeking informed consent to transfuse [ 18 ].…”

“…This sharply contrasts with findings from an observational study in Nepal in which only 2–4% carried out assessment of vital signs within the first 15 minutes of initiating blood transfusion. The difference may be on account of the methodological differences between the studies as knowledge has been shown not to be translated into practice on many occasions [ 18 ].…”