Improvement in appropriate autologous donations with local education: 1987 to 1989

Preoperative autologous blood donation for elective surgery patients at university hospitals was underused in the past. More recently, national educational efforts have been made. To test the impact of local surgeon interviews and education, in 1988 the same local educational program was instituted at three university hospitals; three community hospitals were used as controls. Donation by appropriate patients of interviewed surgeons (elective surgery, crossmatch recommended, no contraindications to donation) increased from 24 percent (44/180) to 40 percent (88/222) (p = 0.002) and 15 percent (21/143) to 32 percent (41/127) (p = 0.001) at two university hospitals where the investigator-educators were on site, but not at the three community hospitals. Between 1987 and 1989, donation rates at all six hospitals remained low among patients for whom autologous donation was (probably) less appropriate. Donation rates for type and screen procedures were 3.0 percent (131/4587) in 1987 and 3.0 percent (199/6606) in 1989 (p = 0.67). Donation rates for "no blood order" procedures were 0.2 percent (15/9429) in 1987 and 0.1 percent (9/11,239) in 1989 (p = 0.14). It can be concluded that appropriate autologous blood donations increased at university hospitals where surgeons were individually interviewed and educated by an investigator on site. However, despite this increase, apparently eligible elective surgery patients in 1989 still failed to donate. This situation deserves additional investigation.