Nurse practitioner support for transfusion in patients with haematologicaldisorders in hospital and at home

We prospectively studied the effects of dedicating a nurse tn manage the pr ovision nf blood product support in a hospital haematology unit and at home to 45 patients with haematological disorders requiring regular transfusion . During the study 335 home blood tests, 65 home platelet transfusions and 155 hospital transfusions were managed by the nurse who organized the whole transfusion process, made home visits for blood tests and platelet transfu sions and arranged hospital visits for red cell transfusions. Two hundred c linic visits and 65 day hospital attendances were avoided. The nurse-led se rvice resulted in a significant reduction in the waiting time from admissio n to transfusion and in the total length of in-patient stay. The importance of and satisfaction with different aspects of the care of the transfusion process assessed by a ranking questionnaire showed improved satisfaction sc ores for all aspects of care. Preference for home blood sampling instead of hospital increased from 24% before to 100% after intervention. We have sho wn that a dedicated transfusion nurse provides a quality service between ho spital and home that is greatly appreciated by patients requiring regular t ransfusions.