An evaluation of blood transfusion service in Saudi Arabia

Mohamoud, Ali

Abstract

Background: Blood transfusion is needed to support the care given to many medical and surgical patients, and can reduce morbidity and mortality. The blood transfusion service (BTS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is hospital-based. This study aims to evaluate the current status of BTS in KSA and the views of senior blood bank staff and stakeholders on improvements to BTS, such as quality standards, co-ordination and centralisation. Hospitals studied were categorised into Ministry of Health (MOH), other government (OtherGov) and private hospitals.

Methods: In phase 1, data was collected by survey questionnaire from 100 hospitals, including MOH, OtherGov and private hospitals. In phases 2 and 3, interviews were conducted with senior blood bank staff from 15 hospitals and 6 stakeholders from blood transfusion service institutions. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, standard tests of association (chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis test) and a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Qualitative data was used by applying the principle of thematic and framework analysis.

Results: Findings show that there are similarities and differences between MOH, OtherGov and private hospitals. There were differences in the availability of a quality coordinator, the implementation of quality systems, and screening for sickle cell anaemia among donor blood, with other governmental performing better than MOH and private hospitals. Conversely, services in all three types of hospitals reported good levels of donor testing for all Transfusion Transmitted Infectious (TTIs) and using clinical indications for transfusions. MOH hospitals lagged behind other government hospitals and private hospitals in several areas (e.g., antibody elution testing and screening for sickle cell anaemia). MOH hospitals, however, perform better in terms of coordination, having all blood banks managed under one administration. Overall, there was a common theme of a shortage of female and volunteer donations and a lack of public awareness about donations. The findings highlight the need for improvement in blood transfusion practice in all Saudi Arabian hospital types, in particular increasing the number of female, repeat and volunteer donors and improving accessibility of blood donation for these groups. Barriers to reaching this goal included a lack of national authority or centralised service for BTS, an immature donor recruitment program and a need for greater public awareness about donation.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study offers a comprehensive examination of the current BTS in KSA and provides a roadmap to ensure that BTS in Saudi Arabia offers a safe service to patients. Standards across the three types of hospitals could be harmonised through the centralisation of BTS and greater co-operation between institutions.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Feb 7, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 28, 2024
• Keywords: Blood Transfusion
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10437822
• Award Date: May 28, 2024