Evaluation of awareness and utilization of an autologous blood transfusion programme

Abstract

Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) has an important role in transfusion practice in the developing world due to increasing incidence of HIV and hepatitis C virus infection. Our study was done to evaluate the level of awareness and utilization of an autologous blood transfusion programme in a teaching hospital in Delhi. We assessed the level of awareness of preoperative ABT amongst treating physicians from different specialties in a teaching hospital through an anonymous questionnaire. The utilization of this methodology in transfusion practice was estimated from records of the Blood Transfusion Service. Of the 150 doctors contacted 96 (64%) responded. Although 67.7% of them were aware of the technique and its advantages, only 21.8% used it for the patients under their care. In the preceding 24 months 133 (1.1%) of 12,090 blood collections in the transfusion service were from autologous donor-patients. Only one unit of blood was collected from each patient, although 41.8% of them received > or = 2 units of blood. Of the 11,123 patients transfused, 55 (0.49%) received the ABT. Thus only 55 (41.3%) of 133 total ABT collections were utilized. The study highlights that there is a general lack of awareness about ABT amongst physicians. This transfusion practice is rarely and inadequately used. The study was repeated the following year after an intensive intervention strategy was adopted. The results show a trend towards improvement in the practice of ABT. This study emphasizes the need for proper organization, planning and communication between clinicians and blood transfusion personnel for effective implementation of an ABT programme, especially in countries with a high incidence of transfusion-transmitted infections and acute shortages of blood for transfusion.

The interface between blood preparation and use in Uganda

“…This is comparable to Dhingra et al. [6] who found that lack of exposure greatly affected the knowledge and utilization of an autologous blood transfusion strategy among physicians working in different specialties and at different levels in a large teaching hospital in India.…”

Knowledge and Attitude about Blood Donation Amongst Undergraduate Students of Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences Deemed University of Central India

“…[1] According to the World Health Organization, South East Asia's estimated blood requirement is about 16 million units per year, but it collects just about 9.4 million units annually, leaving a gap of 6 million units. [2,3] India with its huge population of over 1 billion is lagging behind in blood collection.…”