Aide-mémoire for National Health Authorities and Hospital Management: clinical transfusion process and patient safety

Overview

Blood transfusion is an essential, life-saving intervention in the  clinical management of patients. All patients requiring transfusion should have reliable access to safe blood products, including whole blood, labile blood components and plasma-derived medicinal products. Transfusion should be appropriate to patients’ clinical needs, provided in time and correctly administered.

Patient safety in blood transfusion depends on both the safety of blood products and the safety of the clinical transfusion process – a process that encompasses a series of inter-connected steps including the prescription and ordering of blood products; patient identification; collection and labelling of patient blood samples; pre-transfusion compatibility procedures and issue of blood; collection and transportation of blood units within the hospital; handling of
blood units in the clinical area; blood administration; monitoring of patients; and management of adverse transfusion events. An appropriate and correct clinical transfusion process ensures patient safety and contributes to improved health and survival. However, transfusion carries the risk of adverse events including errors, transfusion reactions and transmission of infections.