title: Involvement of transfusion unit staff in the informed consent process.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obtaining informed consent (IC) for a blood transfusion is an absolute requirement. In this study, we compared the depth of understanding of blood transfusion among patients with or without an explanation by the transfusion unit staff and evaluated the usefulness of this intervention in obtaining IC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expert staff from the transfusion unit started to provide patients with a basic explanation of blood transfusion (intervention group, n = 129). The efficacy of this strategy was assessed by comparison with explanation given by the primary doctors only (conventional group, n = 31). We performed a questionnaire survey to analyze the length of time spent providing information of blood transfusion and the depth of understanding of blood transfusion in the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median time in providing information in the conventional and intervention groups was 6 and 20 minutes, respectively (P < 0.0001). Patients in the intervention group had a better understanding of several key points on blood transfusion than those in the conventional group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that expert staff from the transfusion unit should be involved in obtaining IC for a blood transfusion. Patients who were provided information by transfusion unit staff were more likely to have a better understanding of the risks and benefits of transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furumaki
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuzuki
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan.
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.affiliation: Transfusion and Cell Therapy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431-3192, Japan. Electronic address: akihirot@hama-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takeshita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D032882:Comprehension; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
keywords: Blood management; Informed consent (IC); Self-determination; Transfusion safety; Transfusion service operations