Knowledge of blood transfusion among Nurses at a Teaching and Referral Hospital in Western Kenya

Abstract

Background: Blood transfusion is a lifesaving treatment when used appropriately. It is a complex multistep process which involves health professionals of different cadres, including nurses. The health workers involved should have adequate knowledge and skills in order to ensure patient safety and good outcomes. Objective: To assess blood transfusion knowledge among nurses at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and determine the factors associated with the knowledge level. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 95 participants. The participants were selected using proportionate sampling method. Data collected using a questionnaire was entered into SPPS version 20. Analysis was done using frequency tables, mean and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.2 years (SD, 6.7) with a range of 26-52years. Of the total participants, 74.7% (71/95) were females and the overall mean knowledge score was 60.2%, with a range of 29.6%-81.5%. Questions that were scored highly concerned infectious agents being screened in donated blood 92.6% (88/95) and management of an acute transfusion reaction 86.3% (82/95), whereas those that attracted the lowest scores were on storage temperature for platelets 13.7% (13/95) and labelling of patient blood samples 15.8% (15/95. There was only statistically significant relationship between knowledge score and academic qualifications. Conclusion: The nurses’ overall level of knowledge of blood transfusion in various domains assessed was suboptimal. There is need to enhance the knowledge of the nurses by way of in-service training and continuing professional development.