Blood transfusion practice: a survey in Sichuan, China

To get full knowledge of current conditions and development in the past seven years of clinical transfusion practice in Sichuan, China.

This survey was performed by means of a questionnaire which consisted of three parts of questions including basic conditions of blood banks in the hospitals, procedures for clinical blood transfusion and the utilization of different types of blood products. Thirty-five representative hospitals from different geographic locations in Sichuan province participated in this survey.

All of the 35 hospitals returned the questionnaires and 33 hospitals (94.3%) answered the questions completely. The blood bank information system began to be used by more hospitals from 2006 (21.21%, 7/33) to 2012 (48.48%, 16/33). Automated grouping and cross-matching systems have not been used in level 2 hospitals and only 3 level 3 hospitals used automated systems in 2012. Still less common were procedures for evaluation of blood order forms for appropriateness (2/33, 6.06%) and evaluation of appropriateness and effect of blood component transfusion (8/33, 24.2%), and all the hospitals having these procedures are level 3 hospitals. The percentage of whole blood usage in the volume of all types of blood products used decreased a lot from 7.45% in 2006 to 0.16% in 2010. Technological instruments for bedside checking are not used by any of the hospitals.

The transfusion service degree of the hospitals in Sichuan, China, has developed a lot in the past seven years; however, there are still some problems including whole blood still being used, albeit decreasing; lack of independent blood banks within the hospitals; lack of dedicated personnel for the transfusion services; lack of education; lack of blood bank information systems and automation; lack of screening for appropriateness for blood orders. Thus, the quality control center of clinical blood transfusion (QCCCBT) of Sichuan province should help the transfusion departments to attract more investment in staffing, equipment and information system from the hospitals, enhance the training of transfusion department staffs, and emphasize the supervision of transfusion department's work on directing clinical blood utilization and evaluating clinical transfusion appropriateness.