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Infection control practices in blood banks of Pakistan
Safia Bibi1, Taranum Siddiqui1, Syed Jafry2
1PHRC Research Centre, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan.
Insights
Infection control in Pakistani blood banks is inadequate, especially regarding staff safety and waste disposal. Improvements are needed to prevent blood-borne infections and ensure safe transfusion practices.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Infectious Disease Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Implementing infection control standards in blood banks is crucial for preventing blood-borne infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.
- No prior studies in Pakistan have specifically evaluated infection control practices within the nation's blood banks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess infection control practices in Karachi's blood banks, focusing on safe blood supply, staff safety, and waste disposal.
- To identify areas needing improvement in blood bank operations to enhance safety and compliance.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study design was employed to evaluate blood banks in Karachi.
- Data on infection control practices were collected using a structured questionnaire, followed by an educational intervention.
- Statistical analyses were performed to compare infection control scores based on various factors.
Main Results:
- While 92.5% of blood banks had satisfactory patient safety scores, only 49.1% met staff safety standards and a mere 7.5% met waste disposal standards.
- Stand-alone blood banks and those without a hematologist showed significantly lower infection control scores (P < 0.001).
- The presence of written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and infection control guidelines positively correlated with higher mean infection control scores (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Blood banks in Karachi demonstrate a significant gap in implementing infection control standards, particularly concerning staff safety and waste management.
- The Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) should implement measures to enhance infection control compliance in blood banks.
Background:
Implementation of infection control standards in blood banks is important to prevent transmission of blood-borne infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. No study from Pakistan evaluated the infection control practices in the blood banks of Pakistan.
Aims:
This study aimed to evaluate infection control practices with reference to safe blood supply, staff safety and waste disposal practices in blood banks of Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study. Infection control practices of all blood banks working in Karachi were determined through a structured questionnaire followed by an educational intervention. Mean scores for overall infection control practices and specific practices regarding safe blood supply, staff safety and waste disposal were calculated and compared with different factors using statistical tools.
Results:
Patient safety scores of 49 (92.5%) blood banks were within the satisfactory range but staff safety and waste disposal scores of only 26 (49.1%) and 4 (7.5%) blood banks were satisfactory. Significantly lower infection control (IC) scores were observed for stand-alone blood banks and those working in the absence of a haematologist (P-value < 0.001). Availability of written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and IC guidelines correlated positively (P-value < 0.001) with mean IC scores.
Conclusions:
Blood banks in Karachi lack implementation of IC standards particularly with reference to staff safety and waste management and disposal. Sindh blood transfusion authority (SBTA) should take measures to increase IC compliance within blood banks.
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