Nursing transfusion safety celebrates 10-year anniversary at 2011 AABB Annual Meeting

Nursing celebrated a 10-year anniversary as part of the AABB Annual Meeting with a well-attended blood management and transfusion safety workshop.  The workshop was led by some of the nations leading Transfusion Safety Officers (TSOs). Attendees included physicians, nurses, medical technologists, hospital administrators and blood center personnel.  Comments and participation were strongly encouraged through the use of the audience response system, as well as question & answer sessions.  The program included 4 sessions, each with a focus on two related subjects including:

1.       Educational best practices for clinicians/ Informed consent for blood transfusion

2.       Evidence-based transfusion guidelines/ Computerized physician order entry

3.       Patient monitoring during transfusion/ Identification and management of transfusion reactions

4.       Biovigilance/ National certification of transfusion safety professionals

“Audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive and several attendees made it a point to stop by the podium and tell the speakers that it was one of the best programs that they have ever heard in all the years they have attended the AABB Annual Meeting.  Way to go TSOs!”