PF814 KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES ON BLOOD TRANSFUSION OF MEDICAL RESIDENTS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL: A QUESTIONNAIRE‐BASED STUDY

Abstract

Background:Blood transfusion remains to be one of the most common procedures performed in hospitals. It is an extremely efficient and perhaps life‐saving procedure which is very much an essential part in the management of hematologic and non‐hematologic cases. The knowledge of doctors on blood transfusion has a substantial influence on the rational utilization of blood products.Aims:We aim to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on transfusion of internal medicine (IM) residents at the Philippine General Hospital, using the BEST‐TEST, a validated questionnaire on transfusion medicine (TM).Methods:This is a descriptive cross‐sectional study design, which included all 63 internal medicine residents undergoing training at the Philippine General Hospital for the year 2016. General data on demographics were collected, after which the participants were asked to answer the BEST‐TEST validated questionnaire on transfusion medicineResults:A total of 63 internal medicine residents with a mean age 27.9 ± 1.6 ranging from 25 to 33 years old and majority (61.9%) were between 28 to 30 years old were included in this study. Gender distribution is almost even (50.8% males). In terms of number of hours of training on transfusion medicine in medical school, a third had 4+ hours and a little more than half (50.8%) had 3+ hours. Majority (58.7%) of the internal medicine residents appraised their knowledge of transfusion medicine as intermediate, and almost all (98.4%) rated it as beginner to intermediate. BEST‐TEST mean scores were 39.1%, 40.0%, and 41.0% for the first, second, and third year residents, respectively. There is no significant correlation between test scores of the residents and number of hours of training in transfusion medicine in medical school (p = 0.694) and in residency (p = 0.927). On the other hand, there is a significant correlation between the quality (perceived helpfulness) of residency training on transfusion medicine and test scores with the scores increasing as the year level increases.Summary/Conclusion:Indeed, the results of this study has shown inadeqacy in the knowledge on transfusion medicine among internal medicine residents. Therefore, further training on transfusion medicine, maybe in the form of lecture series and seminars, may help strengthen the knowledge of the residents.