Competency information

Details

Co-operate with blood services to co-ordinate testing and provision of blood components for patients with special requirements.

Considerations

  • Methods used to prepare blood components and products within a defined quality and legislative framework, including preparation, validation, labelling, shelf life quality monitoring and storage of:
    • red cells
    • platelets
    • fresh frozen plasma
    • cryoprecipitate
    • washed cells
    • irradiated blood components.
  • Emerging technologies in blood component preparation and therapy such as pathogen inactivation.
  • Donor selection and the measures taken by the blood service to prevent transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) and the methods used to test for:
    • HIV
    • HBV
    • HCV
    • syphilis
    • HTLV I/II
    • other infective agents
    • emerging pathogens.
  • Algorithms to assess the acceptability of donated blood and donor suitability based on screening and follow-up tests for transfusion-transmissible infections.
  • The time frame in which blood components with special requirements can reasonably be expected to be available.

Relevant learning outcomes

# Outcome
# 6 Outcome Work with specialist blood transfusion services to provide safe transfusion support for patients and be able to inform clinicians on blood safety issues.