(P-ED-3) Assessment of Completeness and Compliance of Blood Transfusion Request Forms in Tertiary Care Hospital in Lower Middle Income Country: A Quality Assurance Study

Background/Case Studies: Effective patient information communication with the blood bank is essential for safe blood delivery and adequate transfusions. Blood bank technicians must fill out Blood Transfusion Request Forms correctly to determine which blood products are required. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended using BRFs in all healthcare institutions to ensure efficient and clear communication between clinicians and the transfusion service.

The present study was conducted as part of a quality assurance initiative aimed at evaluating the completeness of BRFs submitted by clinicians to the blood bank. The goal was to assess the extent of compliance with proper documentation practices and identify key areas for improvement to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information transmitted to the blood bank

Study

Design/Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study conducted in the Department of Transfusion Medicine at a government tertiary care institution from January 2022 to June 2022. An audit was carried out on all Blood Component Requisition Forms submitted to Blood Transfusion Services during the study period. Evaluating the completeness of different fields in the BRFs was the goal of the study. Patient information (e.g., name, UHID number), diagnosis, request type (routine, urgent, or emergency), indication for transfusion, type, and quantity of blood components needed, laboratory parameters, prior transfusion history, date of requirement, and the name and signature of the referring physician were among the parameters evaluated.

The percentage of incomplete entries for each parameter was calculated and analyzed to identify patterns and areas that require intervention.

Results/Findings: Throughout the investigation, 5,352 consecutive BRFs were examined. The following were the completeness of the different parameters in these forms:



Name and UHID number of the patient: 0.07% not complete
23.91%: Diagnosis is not complete.
Request Type (Emergency, Urgent, or Routine): 4.22% incomplete
22.1% of transfusion indications are incomplete.
Blood Component Type and Quantity Needed: 0% Unfinished
12.37% of laboratory parameters are not complete.
Prior Transfusion History: 16.18% lacking
Requirement Date: 1.17% unfinished
The name and signature of the referring physician are 7.23% lacking.

Conclusions: This study site's current BRF completion rate is below ideal, especially when it comes to crucial factors like diagnosis and indication for transfusion. Because missing or ambiguous information may jeopardize patient safety and the effectiveness of blood transfusion services, these form completion flaws present a serious issue for blood bank employees.

Improving healthcare staff education, monitoring, and feedback systems, together with putting corrective measures in place, can raise the compliance rate and eventually lead to safer and more effective patient blood management procedures.