Sardinia: safer blood transfusions with an anti-error plan
The operational heart of the new system is the observation sheet, which allows you to check, step by step, the correct application of procedures
Key points
Safer transfusions in Sardinian facilities. The Region has given the go-ahead for the 'Pathway for the improvement and prevention of errors in the transfusion process'. The programme envisages a set of tools and operational lines designed to strengthen the safety of blood transfusions in all health facilities in Sardinia.
Quality of care and patient protection
"With this measure, Sardinia has equipped itself with a modern and structured system for the management of transfusion safety,' says the regional councillor for health, Armando Bartolazzi. 'It is an important result that focuses on the quality of care and the protection of patients, strengthening the collaboration between professionals, health facilities and the regional coordination system. The objective is one: to ensure that every transfusion is carried out with the highest standards of safety and competence'. The starting point for the measure is the work of the Regional Technical Table for the Safety of Transfusion Pathways, established by resolution no. 15/29 of 19 March 2025. A decisive step, as the councillor emphasises, 'in consolidating a homogeneous system for monitoring and preventing errors in the transfusion sector'.
Three documents to realise the project
The pathway, consisting of three documents, the update of the Guidelines of the Committee for the Good Use of Blood (CoBUS), an Observation Sheet for monitoring the transfusion process and an explanatory accompanying Note, 'introduces a shared transfusion risk management model based on uniform criteria and standardised procedures'.
As emphasised by the Department, the operational heart of the new system is the observation sheet: 'It allows us to verify, step by step, the correct application of safety procedures, from the request for blood through to administration at the patient's bedside and follow-up. Thanks to a simple and comparable survey scheme, it will be possible to identify any criticalities at an early stage and implement continuous improvement actions'.
The strategic role of prevention
Among the most relevant new features of the updated guidelines is 'the direct involvement of the Presidium Medical Directorates in the CoBUS Committee, with a strategic role in preventing transfusion errors and promoting a culture of safety.
