Effectiveness of the entire blood transfusion process with and without a clinical decision support system: a retrospective before-and-after study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical decision support system in improving management of the entire blood transfusion process using a retrospective before-and-after comparative study.

METHODS

A closed-loop transfusion decision support system was developed and implemented hospital-wide in 2020 following a 1-month pilot. Outcomes before implementation (Jan 2018-Jun 2020) and after implementation (Jul 2020-Dec 2022) were compared, including documentation quality and completeness, documentation time, nursing satisfaction, and transfusion adverse events.

RESULTS

After implementation, completeness of transfusion records increased from 97.1% to 99.1% (P < 0.05). Documentation time significantly decreased and nursing satisfaction significantly improved (both P < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was observed in the reported incidence of transfusion adverse reactions between the pre- and post-implementation periods (χ2 = 9.41, P < 0.05; OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.13-1.73).

CONCLUSION

The system standardizes transfusion management, improves documentation completeness, reduces nursing workload, and enhances management of transfusion reactions.