Electronic transfusion consent and blood delivering pattern improve the management of blood bank in China

Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to improve the accuracy of blood transfusion treatment consent, simplify the verification process, prolong the temperature control time before blood transfusion, and save the labor cost of blood transportation. Methods We designed the electronic signing process of blood transfusion consent, which can generate personalized text content and automatically check the accuracy of filling. The signal can be transmitted to the blood transfusion management system (TMS) to relieve the blood distribution. For blood delivering, we established the blood transport center, recruited full-time nurses and used temperature-controlled blood transfer boxes to deliver blood in batches on a regular basis. Results Quarterly analysis of blood transfusion quality data showed that the accuracy of blood transfusion consent was 100% after electronic consent process implemented. The average savings of confirmation time between electronic content and papery content was 26min for Department of Emergency (Estimated Difference (95% CI) = 26 (20 to 36), p< 0.05). The pattern of blood delivering reduced the time for each unit of leaving temperature control by 7.24min on average (Estimated Difference (95% CI) = 7.24 (6.92 to 7.56), p< 0.05), and saved $3.67 of labor cost for each unit as well. Conclusion Electronic transfusion consent process not only ensures the accuracy, but also saves the verification time. Moreover, the blood delivering pattern prolongs the temperature control time of blood, and saves labor costs. These two improvements could enhance transfusion management.