Hardwiring patient blood management: harnessing information technology to optimize transfusion practice

This review will describe recent applications of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) with clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in transfusion medicine and other novel ways information technology is being applied to support patient blood management (PBM) efforts.

CPOE with CDSS can be used to encourage appropriate transfusion practices as part of an institutional PBM program. The impact of CPOE with CDSS is enhanced when the laboratory information system (LIS) can be linked to the electronic medical record (EMR) to enable adaptive alerts that query transfusion orders against current laboratory and/or clinical data to ensure provider ordering practice is consistent with institutional guidelines. Additional current applications of healthcare information technology to transfusion medicine include creation of electronic reports to support order auditing, assessment of blood product utilization and compliance monitoring.

Application of healthcare information technology to transfusion medicine will expand, as more institutions embrace PBM and utilize their EMR and LIS to 'hardwire' appropriate transfusion practice. The impact of implementation of CPOE with CDSS is variable and influenced by multiple factors including existing practice patterns, provider receptiveness and system configuration.