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Consenting to blood: what do patients remember?

T Chan1, K Eckert, P Venesoen

  • 1London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.

Transfusion Medicine (Oxford, England)
|December 20, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Despite informed consent for blood transfusion, patients often forget key risks and alternatives. Improving communication is crucial for patient understanding and comfort with transfusion procedures.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Patient Safety
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Informed consent is a cornerstone of patient care, particularly for procedures like blood transfusion.
  • Effective communication regarding transfusion risks and alternatives is essential for patient autonomy and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the patient's experience with the informed consent process for blood transfusion.
  • To assess the impact of the consent process on patient knowledge and comfort levels regarding transfusion.

Main Methods:

  • A survey was administered to adult patients who received blood transfusions at a tertiary care center.
  • The survey assessed recall of the consent discussion, information conveyed, understandability, and perceived knowledge and comfort post-discussion.

Main Results:

  • 80% of patients recalled discussing and signing informed consent for transfusion.
  • While most recalled the process, 88% did not recall specific risks or alternatives to donor blood.
  • Only 35% felt more informed and comfortable with transfusion, despite 77% finding the discussion understandable.

Conclusions:

  • Current informed consent practices for blood transfusion may not adequately convey essential information about risks and alternatives.
  • There is a significant need to enhance risk communication strategies within the transfusion consent process to improve patient understanding and comfort.

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