» To increase your awareness of the patient identification and blood component checks that must be undertaken before administering a blood component
» To optimise your practice when undertaking a blood component transfusion, including the required patient observations and steps that should be taken to reduce potential hazards
» To understand the evidence base that supports blood component transfusions
The administration of blood components is a relatively common nursing procedure; however, it is associated with several potentially serious hazards.
Blood component transfusion must only be undertaken by a trained healthcare professional whose competency has been assessed.
It is vital that the nurse understands the indication for the blood component transfusion, as well as how to undertake a thorough patient medical history and identity check, and patient observations before, during and after the procedure.
How you think this article has changed your practice when undertaking blood component transfusions.
How you could use this resource to support colleagues in undertaking safe and effective blood component transfusions.
Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11196
CitationCowan K, Davies A (2018) How to undertake a blood component transfusion. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11196
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
DisclaimerPlease note that information provided by Nursing Standard is not sufficient to make the reader competent to perform the task. All clinical skills should be formally assessed at the bedside by a nurse educator or mentor. It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure their practice remains up to date and reflects the latest evidence
Published online: 30 July 2018
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