How can autologous blood transfusions help our patients?

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nursing
• Patient Autonomy
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Holistic patient care emphasizes patient autonomy and advocacy.
• Nurses have a fundamental 'duty of care' to their patients.
• Current clinical practice involves homologous blood product transfusions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To question the continued use of homologous blood products in 21st-century nursing.
• To highlight the existence of a safer, long-recognized alternative.
• To advocate for a re-evaluation of transfusion practices in clinical nursing.

Main Methods:

• Review of established nursing principles regarding patient autonomy and advocacy.
• Examination of historical and contemporary transfusion practices.
• Ethical analysis of 'duty of care' in relation to available alternatives.

Main Results:

• Homologous blood transfusions present potential risks.
• A safer alternative to homologous blood products has been recognized for nearly two centuries.
• The continued reliance on homologous transfusions appears to contradict the principles of patient advocacy and modern holistic care.

Conclusions:

• There is a need to critically assess and potentially shift from homologous blood transfusions to safer alternatives.
• Aligning transfusion practices with the ethical imperative of patient advocacy and safety is crucial.
• Further investigation into the barriers and facilitators for adopting safer transfusion alternatives in clinical nursing is warranted.