Finally, an important role of the committee is the education of hospital staff who may not be aware of current indications and risks from transfusion. Such schedules are employed to minimize unnecessary crossmatching while providing adequate amounts of compatible blood for patients requiring transfusion. Schedules should be based upon previous transfusion practices in individual institutions and should be reviewed periodically to reflect actual usage. Individual allowance must be made for the patient undergoing a procedure anticipated to be complex and associated with extensive blood loss. Since there are distinct risks and benefits associated with the transfusion of blood and blood components, it is critical to obtain informed consent prior to transfusion.
Informed consent is founded upon two concepts.
The patient must be given adequate information to make an informed choice of whether to accept treatment, elect an alternative or refuse care altogether. These choices can be certified on forms that document the process of informed choice. The elements of informed choice include an explanation of the prospective procedure to the patient in appropriately understandable terms together with the possible risks and reasonably foreseeable consequences, potential benefits and available alternatives. In addition, the patient must receive an explanation of the possible consequences of refusing treatment. All rights reserved.