Nursing staff and blood users in general can now access a quick reference guide from the WCBS website with recommended procedures for ordering and administering blood in accordance with safe transfusion practice.
The recommendations are based on the Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Blood and Blood Products in South Africa (Sixth Edition), Standards of Practice for Blood Services in South Africa — Compatibility Testing and Transfusion of Blood Products, and The 2023 South African Haemovigilance Report.
The Nurses’ Guide to Ordering and Administering Blood is presented in a chart with links to additional content covering the following topics:
- Assessment and Consent
- Patient Identification and Sampling
- Blood Ordering
- Blood Receipt and Verification
- Pre-Transfusion Checks
- Transfusion Monitoring
- Adverse Reaction Management
- Post-Transfusion Actions
We hope that the guide will assist colleagues who order and administer blood to ensure that the right blood product is transfused to the right patient, in the right manner, at the right time and for the right reason.
For more information about transfusion education tools, contact Hayley Alie, Hospital Liaison Officer (hayleya@wcbs.or.za)
