Salmi LR, Dujardin PP, Ingrand P; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.
Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 1999; 15: 50.
Institut de Sante Publique, d'Epidemiologie et de Developpement, Universite Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France.
OBJECTIVE: The pretransfusion bedside compatability test, mandatory in France since 1965, is supposed to decrease the risk of ABO incompatibility accidents. The analysis of accidents notified in the French Haemovigilance surveillance system suggests that poor interpretation of the test is the main failure. We conducted an experimental study to define sources of errors related to the nurse and the blood groups of the product and the recipient. METHODS: A sample of 48 nurses were randomly selected in four transfusion sectors of the University Hospital of Grenoble, France, according to their seniority in the profession and in the ward. Every nurse interpreted 24 photos of pretransfusion bedside compatability tests, including some with procedure irregularities, and had to appreciate compatability between bloods of the donor and the recipient. Half of the nurses were randomly provided with a diagram to help the interpretation. Results were compared to interpretations by two transfusion experts. RESULTS: The overall frequency of errors was 39.8%, it was lower when tests were interpretable and compatible (7.3%) or interpretable and incompatible (6.3%), when the nurse had between 3 and 5 years in the profession and less than 3 years in the service (25.5%), worked in haematology (34.7%) or anaesthesia (36.5%). Use of the diagram limited the number of errors, provided the test was interpretable (22.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Bedside pretransfusion compatibility test cannot be considered as a reliability safety procedure. There is an urgent need for other methods that would limit the risk of incompatibility accidents.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- France
- Hospitals, University
- Nurses
- Point-of-Care Systems
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102193777
From Meeting Abstracts