How does the digital poster campaign work?
You will receive a pre-poster campaign survey by SMS to test your knowledge about an upcoming poster topic. Two to three days later, you should receive the digital poster. If you answered any of the questions or statements in the pre-poster campaign survey incorrectly, you should receive a follow-up survey to test your knowledge again. Your responses will assist us with our evaluation of the effectiveness of the campaign.
Subscribe to the digital poster campaign here.
Interested in printed educational posters?
WCBS will provide the printed posters, together with snapper frames (free-of-charge). These posters should ideally be mounted in wards that use blood and blood products, inside doctor’s tearooms and along corridors inside hospitals and healthcare facilities. The printed posters will be swopped out one- to three-monthly to provide ongoing and varied educational content.
How to perform a pre-transfusion bedside check
• Two staff members must be present – one reads the information out aloud and the other checks it is correct.
• Start by asking the patient ‘what is your name?’
• Check that the patient’s name, surname and date of birth are the same on the issue document, product and folder.
• Check that the patient’s blood group is the same on the product and issue document.
• Check the expiry time of the product.
• Inspect the product for clots and leaks.
• Make sure that pre-transfusion vital signs are taken before the transfusion starts (ie. pulse, blood pressure, temperature, respiratory rate).
Please return unused red cell concentrates to the blood bank:
• Within 24 hours from the time issued.
• Provided the unit remains attached to the hamper rod with the cable tie.
• The storage temperature is between 2 ºC – 10 ºC.
Top tip: Only cut the cable tie attaching the product to the hamper rod just before it is used.
Principles to consider before transfusing your patient:
• Consider clinical symptoms, not haemoglobin triggers alone.
• Don’t give red cells for iron deficiency anaemia without hemodynamic instability.
• Give single red cell transfusions for non-bleeding patients.
• Reassess your patient before ordering additional units of blood.
• Avoid excessive blood sampling.
• Make sure patient information on the form and blood sample match exactly.
• Write the information legibly or use a patient sticker.
• Make sure the doctor’s name and contact number are written on the form in the event there is a complication.
• Always include the date and time when the crossmatch blood sample was taken, along with who took the sample – the sample must be less than 48 hours old.
In the event of a suspected reaction:
• Stop the transfusion immediately.
• Call for assistance and notify the patient’s doctor.
• Keep venous access open for the patient with normal saline using a new drip set.
• Manage the specific reaction (eg. allergic reaction, fever, dyspnoea).
• Check that the correct blood product was transfused to the patient by verifying their identity and comparing this to the details on the product.
• Once the patient has been stabilised, notify the blood bank.
• Return all used and un-used blood products, including the giving sets, to the blood bank along with two post-transfusion EDTA patient samples.
• Complete the doctor’s report supplied by the blood bank or available here.
For more information, contact Hayley Alie, Hospital Liaison Officer (hayleya@wcbs.org,za).