The role of the transfusion safety coordinator in Australia

A Theoretically Informed Approach to Support the Implementation of Pre-Operative Anemia and Iron Deficiency Screening, Evaluation, and Management Pathways: Protocol for a Type Two Hybrid-Effectiveness Study

Introduction

Blood transfusions are a risk factor for increased morbidity, mortality, and length of hospital stay. Patient blood management guidelines provide guidance to reduce risk and improve patient outcomes. They outline steps to help prevent transfusions and considerations for when deciding to transfuse. One recommendation to prevent unnecessary transfusion is to optimize patients using Pre-operative Anemia and Iron Deficiency Screening, Evaluation and Management Pathways (PAIDSEM-P). The uptake of these recommendations is highly variable, and an effective approach to implementing them in a tailored and context-specific manner remains elusive.

Method and Design

A mixed-methods, interventional study, using a type two-hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, will evaluate the impact of a change package to improve the uptake of PAIDSEM-P. The change package consists of the intervention (PAIDSEM-P) supported by theoretically informed implementation strategies. Pre- and post-implementation, retrospective health record reviews will determine the effect of the change package on provider outcomes, including compliance with guideline recommendations as measured by the proportion of patients who have the appropriate tests performed, and, if required, appropriate treatment and/or referrals. Patient outcomes will be measured by checking for any difference in the proportion of patients with anemia on the day of surgery and the proportion of patients who receive a blood transfusion during the peri-operative period. An economic evaluation will be conducted to compare health outcomes and costs. The feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of the PAIDSEM-P will be assessed using a quantitative, validated survey to measure implementation outcomes.

Discussion

Testing of implementation theory is required to advance understanding of what works, in what context, and the impact on implementation success. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a theoretically informed change package on improving the uptake of PAIDSEM-P. If successful, it will also provide a framework for health care facilities to follow when addressing other evidence-practice gaps.

RENORMALIZATION OF THE NURSES’ WORK IN HEMOTHERAPY: BETWEEN PRESCRIPTION AND REALITY

ABSTRACT Objective: to characterize the work process of nurses in hemotherapy in terms of prescribed procedures, antecedent norms and real work. Method: a qualitative study, carried out from February to December 2017, in a blood center in the North of the country, involving a sample of twenty-two nurses. Methodological triangulation with data collected through semi-structured interviews, institutional documents and protocols, participant observation and notes in a field diary were used. For data treatment and analysis, the resources of the Atlas.ti 8.2.1 software (Qualitative Research and Solutions) and the fundamentals of Historical Dialectical Materialism and Ergology were used. Results: the results showed that nurses work in different activities, recreating work according to the needs of the service. The assistance, educational and managerial work permeates the activities developed and is carried out in accordance with the legislation, seeking to guarantee the donor's health, the quality of the products and transfusion safety. Conclusion: the work situations of these professionals indicate that its uses are present in their daily lives, promoting dynamism between the previous norms and the renormalizations.

Patient blood management and the importance of the Transfusion Practitioner role to embed this into practice

Patient blood management (PBM) is a widely established international initiative, with a multidisciplinary approach to reduce transfusion. The Transfusion Practitioner¹ (TP) role is well embedded in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia. The value of the TP in changing both culture and practice to implement an all-inclusive PBM approach to care will be discussed. The TP role was born from both a safety and haemovigilance culture, where the greatest identified risk to the patient undergoing a transfusion was human error. From this initial trigger for improved safety, the TP role has evolved to a multifaceted, highly specialised role, involved in both PBM and transfusion processes. As the transfusion paradigm shifted from product to patient, the TP role evolved to include PBM, with an emphasis on the patients and the impact transfusion has on them. A multidisciplinary team is required to drive both PBM and transfusion; the TP is recognised as a critical link in the multidisciplinary team. They are seen as a driving force for change, bridging the gap between the laboratory and clinical arenas. The TP plays a vital role in helping establish and embed PBM that improves patient and safety outcomes.