title: [Evaluation of spontaneous peri-transfusional screening for HVC and HIV at the Rouen University Hospital Center].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since October 1996, French hospitals have been instructed to introduce screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in all patients before and 3 months after each blood transfusion. The aim of this study was to assess the degree to which this recommendation had been taken into account in a university hospital via a pre- and post transfusion screening comparison.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study on the use or non-use of screening tests for HCV and HIV was carried out in 2 groups of 150 randomly selected patients who had received blood transfusions in 1996 and in 1998.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The coverage by pre-transfusion screening tests for HCV and HIV varied from 23% in 1996 to 20% in 1998 (not significant). The post-transfusion screening tests were performed by the hospital in 6% of the cases in 1996 and in 3% of the cases in 1998 involving blood transfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that in the majority of patients, screening (particularly post-transfusion screening) for HCV and HIV was not carried out, and that over the 2-year period considered no noticeable improvement was observed. However, these results only concerned one hospital in which no specific screening program had been introduced. It is therefore possible that these findings are not representative of the situation in other hospitals; further studies would be useful in this regard.
authors: Département d'épidémiologie et de santé publique, centre hospitalier universitaire, hôpitaux de Rouen, France.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Chamouni
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Anselme-Tanguy
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Daubert
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Mendel
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Budet
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Goria
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Colin
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Czernichow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001771:Blood Banks / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006678:HIV / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014766:Viremia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology