KNOWLEDGE OF PROTOCOL AND HAZARDS OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION AMONG NURSES IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Blood transfusion is a potentially hazardous procedure and errors can lead to many complications or even death may occur. Nurses must have updated knowledge of blood transfusion, protocol, and nursing practices. To assess the knowledge of protocol and Hazards of Blood Transfusion among Nurses in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, A descriptive cross-sectional study design and a Simple random sampling technique was adopted. The data was collected from eight different hospitals through a lucky draw. Knowledge protocol and hazards of 400 nurses were evaluated through a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and blood transfusion-related. Data was analyzed on SPSS 21 version, A total of 400 participants were evaluated. 55.3% were male and 44.8% were female. 63% of nurses knew about O-ve universal blood group donors. 51% knew about the frequency of blood donation. 53.5% knew RBCs storage in the blood bank at +2 degrees C to +6 degrees C. 92.8% knew blood products should be visually inspected before transfusing to the patient. 64.8% were aware to closely monitor the patient for the first 15 minutes. 59% knew the patient should be under close observation during a blood transfusion, In this study, most of the nurses had a basic knowledge related to blood transfusion and its protocol. However the critical knowledge about transfusion was not up to the mark.