Assessment of Nurses’ Knowledge Level Regarding the Procedure of Blood Transfusion in a Hospital from Bucharest

Abstract

Background and Aim: Blood transfusion is an invasive procedure with a high risk that could have unwanted consequences for both the patient and the nurses. Therefore, nurses must have the necessary knowledge to perform their roles safely and effectively. The aim of the study was to assess nurses’ knowledge level regarding the procedure of blood transfusion. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional research study was conducted with a randomly selected sample of 26 nurses (response rate of 100%) and used a paper version validated questionnaire to collect the data. The scores of the knowledge <50% were considered as poor, between 50–74% - moderate, and ≥75% - high. The statistical data analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 20. Results: This study included nurses (45.35 ± 7.12 years average age and 18.96 ± 8.31 years average experience) from the medical wards (n=12), surgical wards (n=7), Intensive Care Units (ICU) (n=6) and Blood Transfusion Unit (BTU) (n=1). Most nurses were female, between 40 and 55 years old, post-secondary school graduates, and without specific blood transfusion courses. Based on the scoring system, nurses' overall knowledge of blood transfusion was estimated to be moderate (54 ± 5.16%). The percentage of knowledge calculated for each assessed dimension was 85.5% (Transfusion safety), 15.4% (The last pre-transfusion control), 46.2% (Transfusion administration), 46.2% (Patient monitoring), and 30.8% (Transfusion complications). In general, nurses from BTU, ICU, and surgical wards provided the most correct answers. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that the nurses’ knowledge of blood transfusion was at a moderate level, which also corresponds with international research. Extending this study could demonstrate the need to implement courses in the field of transfusion management at the national level.