Regional
Enhancing patient safety through structured blood utilization programs: The experience of Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital, Kuwait
Dalal Almuaili
College of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
Hoda Zartaj
Jaber Al-Ahmad hospital, Kuwait.
Ensuring patient safety in transfusion medicine remains a critical priority for healthcare institutions worldwide. As hospitals grow in size and complexity, so too does the demand for blood components and the need for robust systems to ensure their appropriate use. At Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital in Kuwait, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary initiative has been implemented to address this challenge, combining governance, education, and continuous quality improvement to enhance transfusion practices across the institution.
Group photo
Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital is one of the largest healthcare facilities in the region, with a capacity of approximately 1200 beds. Since its opening in 2019, the hospital has become a major tertiary care center offering a full spectrum of medical and surgical specialties, including obstetrics and gynecology, solid organ transplantation, medical and surgical oncology, orthopedics, cardiothoracic surgery, trauma and emergency medicine, and many other subspecialties. This breadth of services translates into a high and diverse demand for blood components—reflected in approximately 9550 crossmatches performed in 2025—placing significant responsibility on the Haematopathology and Blood Bank Unit to ensure safe and efficient transfusion practices.
Recognizing these challenges, and under the leadership of Dr. Hoda Zartaj, Head of the Haematopathology and Blood Bank Unit, Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital established the Blood Components Utilization Review Committee. This multidisciplinary committee is working through multiple parallel approaches to enhance transfusion-related patient safety, including policy development, utilization review, audit, and targeted education. The continuing education program represents one key component within this broader strategy.
A central component of the committee’s efforts is a structured continuing education program targeting key healthcare professionals involved in the transfusion process, aimed at addressing knowledge gaps, standardizing practices, and fostering a culture of safe transfusion throughout the hospital. These educational streams are delivered in parallel as part of a broader, multifaceted strategy to enhance transfusion safety.
The program was developed in collaboration with Dr. Dalal Almuaili, Assistant Professor of Immunology and Immunohaematology at Kuwait University, reflecting Kuwait’s Ministry of Health’s progressive approach to integrating academic expertise into clinical practice.
Lecture
Educational Stream 1: Laboratory Technologists
The first stream focused on laboratory technologists, who play a critical role in ensuring the accuracy and safety of blood component preparation and delivery. Educational sessions were designed to reinforce best practices in blood bank procedures, decision making, and adherence to transfusion protocols. Following the initial rollout, the program transitioned into a maintenance stage, with periodic sessions planned to sustain competency and address emerging updates.
Educational Stream 2: Nursing Staff
The second stream targeted nursing staff, who are directly responsible for the administration of blood components and monitoring patients during transfusion. Given their frontline role, ensuring that nurses are well-informed and confident in transfusion practices is essential for patient safety. The nursing education program has been delivered through ongoing weekly sessions, with the goal of reaching all nursing staff within the hospital. Following this initial rollout, the program is expected to transition into a maintenance phase, with sessions delivered monthly for new staff or as needed.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a satisfaction survey was conducted among participating nurses (n = 178), demonstrating high engagement and perceived value, with 73.6% rating overall satisfaction as 5/5, 74.2% rating the usefulness of the content as 5/5, and nearly 90% reporting strong knowledge gain (4–5/5).
Educational Stream 3: Anaesthesia Technicians
The third stream focuses on anaesthesia technicians, who play a vital role in perioperative care, including the preparation and support of transfusion in surgical and critical care settings. Given their involvement in high-acuity environments where rapid transfusion may be required, targeted educational sessions are being developed in the form of focused information sessions. These sessions aim to reinforce key principles of safe transfusion practices, including proper handling of blood components, awareness of transfusion indications, and effective communication with both anaesthesia teams and the blood bank.
Educational Stream 4: Physicians
The fourth stream focuses on physicians, who are responsible for ordering blood components and making clinical decisions regarding transfusion. Studies, including work by Arwa Alreyami, reveal that 25% of medical schools lack formal transfusion medicine programs, while over half of education leaders consider current training in transfusion medicine inadequate, underscoring the need for targeted educational initiatives.
Efforts are currently underway to secure Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation for these sessions, with the aim of encouraging participation and reinforcing the importance of ongoing education in transfusion medicine.
Educational Content and Approach
The educational sessions across all streams were designed to address the practical and operational aspects of transfusion practice within the hospital setting. Key areas of focus included the fundamentals of available blood components, transfusion procedures, and proper completion of required documentation and request forms.
Additional emphasis was placed on logistical considerations such as required sample types, test turnaround times, and the importance of effective communication with the blood bank to ensure timely and appropriate support. Participants were also trained in the recognition and management of transfusion reactions, including immediate response, reporting pathways, and subsequent clinical steps. Further topics included the principles and activation of massive transfusion protocols (MTP), as well as institution-specific policies and procedures at Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital.
Conclusion The experience of Jaber Al Ahmad Hospital demonstrates that improving patient safety in transfusion medicine requires a coordinated, institution-wide approach that integrates governance, audit, policy development, and targeted education. The Blood Components Utilization Review Committee has adopted a multifaceted strategy to address these areas simultaneously, with the continuing education program serving as a key component of this broader effort.
Importantly, strengthening transfusion-related knowledge across all healthcare professionals—from laboratory staff to frontline clinicians—remains essential to ensuring safe, appropriate, and evidence-based use of blood components. Collaborative initiatives, such as partnerships between clinical institutions and academic bodies, further enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of these efforts. As healthcare systems continue to evolve in complexity, such integrated and collaborative approaches provide a strong model for improving transfusion safety and optimizing patient outcomes, while also laying the groundwork for future development of patient blood management once foundational technical and practical elements are fully established.
