Blood Administration and Transfusion Reactions

The purpose of this (2) hour course is to provide the learner with information about blood products, blood product administration, and risks of transfusion. Much of this course is directly taken from the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, The American Red Cross, The United States Food and Drug Administration, and The World Health Organization web sites. The safety of people receiving transfusions is paramount to this course.

By the end of this course, you will have the skills to:

✔️ Identify the rationale for the selection of specific blood transfusion products including whole blood, packed red blood cells, and platelets.

✔️ Describe pre-administration nursing priorities to assure safe administration of blood products.

✔️ Identify potential pre-administration medications and rationale for use.

✔️ Identify six critical pieces of information that must be co-assessed by two licensed personnel prior to blood administration.

✔️ Describe the essential steps with the administration of blood products including tubing, filter, priming solution, and rate of administration.

✔️ Identify signs and symptoms of suspected acute and late transfusion reactions.

✔️ Describe immediate nursing action required for the patient with a suspected hemolytic transfusion reaction.