Impact of Electronic Prescription System Modification for Appropriate Blood Component Utilization

Background: Transfusion reactions are major considerations in transfusions.Appropriate transfusion practices are essential to minimize the risk of transfusion reactions, such as using irradiated and leukoreduced blood components for indicated patients.This study examined the effectiveness of an electronic prescription system modification in promoting the appropriate use of these blood components.Methods: The blood component prescription data from seven years (Jan 2016Dec 2022) were analyzed retrospectively.The proportion of irradiated units was calculated for each half-year.Each transfusion was categorized by cancer diagnosis, blood component type, and visit type.Statistical comparisons were performed to assess the changes in the use of irradiated blood units and leukoreduced red cell components before and after the system modification.Results: This study analyzed 33,701 blood component prescriptions.The average number of irradiated units per prescription increased significantly from 0.21 to 0.77 after system modification.All patient groups, excluding transfusion in the operating room, showed a significant increase in irradiated unit use (P0.001).In addition, the percentage of leukoreduced red cell components increased significantly after the intervention (P<0.001).Conclusion: Modification of the electronic prescription system was effective in promoting the appropriate use of irradiated blood components among clinicians.This intervention can reduce transfusion reactions and improve patient outcomes by ensuring the correct selection of blood components for the indicated patients.(