Transfusion medicine handbook

3. Guide to Good Transfusion Practice

3.19 Documentation of Transfusion

Full and accurate documentation of every step of the transfusion process is vital. Not only is this important for effective investigation of serious transfusion-related adverse events such as transfusion-transmitted infections, it also facilitates auditing of all aspects of the transfusion process and is essential in ensuring vein-to-vein traceability of blood components and fractionated products. Table 3.3 summarises the requirements of documentation associated with transfusion.

The majority of transfusion errors are administrative or clerical. Common errors include:

• Failure to identify the patient properly when taking pretransfusion blood samples.
• Failure to correctly label the patient’s pretransfusion blood sample at the bedside.
• Transcription errors in the laboratory.
• Failure to clearly identify the intended recipient prior to transfusion.

Table 3.3: Documentation of Transfusion