A survey on insight of blood donors during COVID pandemic in Southern India

ABSTRACT Introduction: Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) surveys prove beneficial to the transfusion services by providing an insight into the donors and, thus, aiding in mobilizing and retaining voluntary blood donors. We aim to study the knowledge, attitude and practices of donors towards blood donation in a pandemic setting. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of blood donors was conducted between June to and October 2020. Non-parametric tests (Mann - Whitney U and Kruskal - Wallis) were performed to evaluate the relation of knowledge, attitude and practices overall scores with age group, gender and history of blood donations (first us. repeat). The Chi-Square test/Fisher's Exact test was used to evaluate the differences in the distribution of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices items within the groups. Results: A total of 403 of 2,748 individuals who came for whole blood donation participated in the study. The mean age of the study population was 31.1years (SD ± 8.4 range: 18 - 58), with 75% of the donors donating for the first time. The fear of acquiring COVID-19 infection was perceived as a major reason for the eligible population not to donate. The overall knowledge, attitude and practice score among the donors was satisfactory, being 76.14%, with a significant association with age. The overall positive attitude and practices scores of blood donors were 85.48% and 78.04%, respectively. Conclusion: The KAP scores were satisfactory among the donors. Timely communication of the precautionary measures at blood centers to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infection and effective counseling would help in motivating and retaining blood donors.

COVID-19 pandemic and blood transfusion services: The impact, response and preparedness experience of a tertiary care blood center in southern Karnataka, India

Abstract Introduction With the outbreak of COVID-19 and its containment measures, blood centers faced a huge challenge in balancing blood demand and supply and devising a preparedness plan to withstand the uncertain situation. This study assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood transfusion services and discusses the appropriate mitigation strategies adopted. Methods We analyzed our center's blood transfusion services during the first half-period of the pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years 2018(Y1) and 2019(Y2) in two-quarters Q1 (pre-lockdown), from January to March and Q2 (post-lockdown), from April to June. The blood donation variables, the packed red blood cells (PRBCs) demand and the utilization pattern were compared between pandemic (Y3) and non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2) in each quarter. The mitigation strategy adopted at every step of the transfusion service is highlighted. Results During post-lockdown (Q2) of the pandemic year (Y3), the blood donation was majorly by repeat donors (83%) from the in-house site (82.5%). Furthermore, the proportion of outdoor donation, deferral, blood collection, demand and issue demonstrated a significant drop of 50%, 32.6%, 33%, 31.8% and 32.3%, respectively, in comparison to Q2 of the non-pandemic years (Y1 and Y2), with a statistically significant difference for surgical and hemorrhagic indications (p < 0.05). Coping strategies, such as blood donor education and motivation using e-platforms emphasizing eligibility during the pandemic, staggering of donor in-flow, postponement of elective surgeries and donor and staff' COVID-19 safety assurance, were followed. Conclusion The timely adoption of coping strategies played a crucial role in the better handling of shortcomings at our center's blood transfusion services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use of platelet components: An observational audit at a tertiary care centre

BACKGROUND Platelets should be transfused appropriately, based on the cause of thrombocytopenia. The practice and policies of transfusion vary among institutions and even among clinical practitioners, leading to inappropriate use of platelets, which might increase the risk of transfusion-related complications to recipients, and lead to a shortage of platelets. An audit of platelet components helps to determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of their use and in improving transfusion practices. We did an audit of the use of platelet transfusions at our centre. METHODS We conducted a prospective concurrent audit of the platelet transfusion practices. The audit cycle had four steps: (i) defining the standards; (ii) data collection; (iii) comparison against the standards; and (iv) presenting them to clinicians for further improvement. RESULTS Platelet components were used appropriately in 93.6% (2420/2586) of episodes. The platelet count was not done before transfusion in only 6.4% (165/2586) of episodes. The dose of platelets was given appropriately in 84.3% (2180) of episodes of transfusion. Indications for appropriate transfusion classified as pre-procedure, prophylactic and therapeutic transfusions were 11.3% (293), 66.1% (1450) and 13% (412), respectively. Medicine and medical oncology were the specialties with the highest level of appropriateness. CONCLUSION An audit of transfusion practices benefits transfusion services and clinicians in terms of judicious use of platelet components and better inventory management.