The risks involved in blood and blood component transfusion can be caused by inadequate procedures and mistakes or omissions by professionals responsible for transfusion. The present study aims at evaluating the level of knowledge on this issue and about the adequacy of the transfusional practices of nurses at a large university hospital in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The study was conducted during an in-service training course on hemotherapy. A data collection instrument was applied before and after the training, when the professionals were asked about their knowledge of transfusion practices. Study participants were nurses and nursing assistants, all of whom were responsible for transfusion procedures. More than half the participants felt that they were given little information or were badly informed about transfusions. A large portion of the professionals mentioned that the signs and symptoms of transfusion reactions are not explained to patients. Many participants reported inadequate blood warming procedures. The evaluation of the knowledge showed significant defects in the education of these nursing professionals.
Knowledge; inservice training; hemotherapy; blood transfusion
