Abstract
Background: Today, excessive demand for blood products is a common issue across various medical departments. This demand can lead to improper distribution, waste of blood products, and poor availability for emergency patients. Additionally, it increases costs and the workload of blood banks, disrupting the proper distribution of products among medical centers. Ultimately, all these factors contribute to a decrease in the quality of blood products. This study was conducted to investigate the pattern of blood requests and utilization at 5-Azar Educational Hospital in the Golestan province in 2022.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2022. The study population comprised all patients who requested blood product reservations upon admission to the hospital.
Results: In the present study, 514 patients with requests for blood product reservations were included, resulting in 739 cross-matches and ultimately 677 transfusions. The cross-match to transfusion (C/T) ratio for this study was 1.09, while the probability of transfusion (T %) was 91.6%. The highest incidence of blood reservation wastage was associated with the neurosurgery department.
Conclusion: By addressing the identified challenges and promoting adherence to guidelines, healthcare institutions can improve patient outcomes and ensure responsible use of blood resources.