As part of promoting safer transfusion practice, Blood Bank management teams are conducting a standardised educational talk for nursing staff, as the cause of most misdirected transfusions are attributable to hospital staff errors. The presentations will be prioritised for facilities where errors have occurred, although our teams hope to reach as many nursing staff as possible in the province.
The talk takes a deep dive into the root causes of common errors in order to prevent recurrences. The primary focus is on blood bank sample requirements to prevent having to reject patient samples that result in unnecessary delays. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of ensuring that the right blood product is transfused to the right patient at the right time, as misdirected transfusions are potentially life-threatening and completely avoidable. The presentation takes 30 – 60 minutes dependant on the interaction from the nursing staff.
Thus far, talks have been presented to a total of 270 nursing staff from the following facilities – Tygerberg Hospital, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Karl Bremmer Hospital, Mitchell’s Plain Hospital, Khayelitsha Hospital, Mediclinic Panorama, Mediclinic Durbanville, Mediclinic Vergelegen and Melomed Mitchell’s Plain.
For more information about the talk or to invite the team to present to your nursing teams, contact your closest blood bank.
