Clinical use of blood and blood components in post-abortion care in Botswana
SUMMARY Background Understanding the pattern and gaps in blood product utilisation in post‐abortion care is crucial for evidence‐based planning and priority setting. Objective To describe the current use of blood and blood components in post‐abortion care in Botswana. Methods We conducted a retrospe...
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| Published in: | Transfusion medicine (Oxford, England) Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 278 - 284 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01-08-2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | SUMMARY
Background
Understanding the pattern and gaps in blood product utilisation in post‐abortion care is crucial for evidence‐based planning and priority setting.
Objective
To describe the current use of blood and blood components in post‐abortion care in Botswana.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cross‐sectional study across four hospitals in Botswana using routine patients' records. We included all patients admitted for an abortion between January and August 2014. Descriptive statistics are used to report the results.
Results
Whole blood and red cell concentrates were used in 59/619 (9·5%) of patients. Plasma and platelet use was 1·3 and 0·7%, respectively. The mean admission haemoglobin level was 10·07 g dL−1 (SD 2·69) and differed significantly between referral and district hospitals. The mean number of blood units transfused per patient was 2·23 (standard deviation (SD) 1·23), with 15/55 (27·3%) receiving a single unit. A total of 43/288 (14·9%) of the patients had haemoglobin levels below 7 g dL−1 but did not receive any transfusion. There was a moderate positive correlation between admission haemoglobin level and time to transfusion (Spearman's rho = 0·37, P = 0·01). The number of blood units given increased with decreasing admission haemoglobin level. The strength of this association was moderate (Spearman's rho = −0·48, P < 0·001).
Conclusion
There is a relatively low utilisation of blood and blood components in post‐abortion care in Botswana despite an apparent clinical need in some instances. The reason for this shortfall, as well as its impact on morbidity and mortality, needs to be explored and be a focus of health systems research in Botswana. |
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| Bibliography: | ArticleID:TME12320 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - No. T84HA21125 ark:/67375/WNG-SNRQ5NVK-6 istex:E3F337AEEF690BB985EE3042F914816C347A2320 Botswana Medical Education Partnerships Initiative (BoMEPI) President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0958-7578 1365-3148 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/tme.12320 |