Mf. Murphy et al., SURVEY OF THE INFORMATION GIVEN TO PATIENTS ABOUT BLOOD-TRANSFUSION AND THE NEED FOR CONSENT BEFORE TRANSFUSION, TRANSFUSION MEDICINE, 7(4), 1997, pp. 287-288
There is no current requirement in the United Kingdom to provide patie
nts with information about blood transfusion or to seek their written
consent to transfusion. To study patients' attitudes to these question
s, a questionnaire survey was carried out on 51 patients during an adm
ission to hospital in which they received a blood transfusion. The pat
ients in this survey, although mostly satisfied about the information
they were given before they were transfused, would have welcomed more
general information about transfusion, mainly because of concerns abou
t the risk of viral infections. Nearly 40% of patients thought that wr
itten consent should be obtained before transfusion, but the ethical a
nd practical aspects of this issue are complex. Further debate would b
e required before implementation of written consent to transfusion cou
ld be considered as a routine policy.