House staff knowledge of blood component therapy: an evaluation

It has been documented that most transfusion errors are either administrative or clerical. It is necessary to ascertain if those responsible for transfusing patients have the knowledge to do it properly. Since house staff are responsible for the proper administration of blood components at many teaching hospitals, a group of pediatric interns and residents were given a short examination to measure their knowledge of transfusion practices and to identify when, during their training, this knowledge is obtained. Transfusion techniques, inspection of blood bag labels, compatibility, and transfusion reactions were covered in the exam. It was found that the knowledge of transfusion therapy is learned by experience and that many house staff members have an adequate knowledge of present-day transfusion practices.