Informed Consent for Blood Transfusion: Physicians' Perceptive at a Tertiary Healthcare Hospital Informed consent for blood trasfusion

Abstract

Blood transfusion have the potential to save lives and frequently provide considerable benefits, but it has associated risks. Notwithstanding, the process of obtaining permission for blood transfusion may not be done satisfactorily. The study was carried out to evaluate physicians' opinion, attitude and practice of the transfusion consent process at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Physicians from distinct departments were beckoned to fill out an unidentified questionnaire on transfusion consent. A total of 141 physicians replied to the study. More than 90% of the participants acknowledged the significance of the transfusion consent process. An aggregate of 123 (87.2) participants had prescribed blood, out of which 119 (84) obtained informed consent before blood transfusion.  The advantages and hazards of blood transfusion was interpreted routinely by 108(90.8) and 81(68.1) of the study participants, respectively. Contrarily, a lower proportion of the participants 56(47.1) explained the available options to blood transfusion. The likelihood to decline consent after receiving education on blood transfusion was the most identified limitations to the practice of informed consent in transfusion at the studied institution. This study demonstrates decisive perspective of the evaluated physicians on the value of transfusion consent. Nonetheless, strategies should be set up to ensure that options to blood transfusion are included systematically in the transfusion consent process.