Problems evidenced by nursing care in blood transfusions: an integrative review

Objective: Analyse the primary studies that highlighted the problems related to Nursing assistance in the practice of blood transfusions. Materials and Methods: Integrative literature review with a search of journals indexed in SCOPUS; CINAHL; SCIENCE DIRECT; PUBMED and WEB of SCIENCE databases, with the descriptors blood transfusion; Exchange Transfusion; Hemotherapy Service; nursing care; Patient Care Planning; Evidence Based Nursing. Results and Discussion: The sample consisted of 12 primary articles. Two qualitative studies obtained a moderate and strong level on the COREQ scale. In the STROBE score assignment, ten articles were selected with scores above 12. As for the level of evidence, 91.6% have level 4 and 8.4% level 3. Regarding the professionals' knowledge about blood transfusion, although they have knowledge of the subject, they declare the need for continuous training for quality assurance and, also, those who know the process, but do not adequately perform the steps for patient safety, need training. Regarding patient safety, the knowledge deficit of professionals can be detrimental to patient safety, which can lead to potential harm and increased morbidity and mortality of patients in the process of hemodialysis. Conclusion: The transfusion practice requires qualified professionals to ensure quality care and patient safety. Therefore, there is a need for ongoing education programs that include training and capacity-building related to the subject, as well as the multiple factors arising from lack of quality and unhealthy forms of work that overload professionals and lead to error.