Evaluation of knowledge of surgical unit physicians working in university hospital on blood and blood products transfusion

Evaluation of Knowledge of Surgical Unit Physicians Working in University Hospital on Blood and Blood Products Transfusion Introduction and Objective: This study aims to investigate the knowledge and qualifications of surgical unit physicians working in Dicle University Faculty of Medicine Hospital on blood and blood products transfusion. Material and Method: In the study, it was aimed to evaluate knowledge of surgical unit physicians working at Diyarbakir Dicle University Faculty of Medicine on blood and blood products transfusion. All physicians who were working at surgical units of Dicle University and agreed to participate were included in the research. Sociodemographic data form and questionnaire were applied to physicians working at different branches in our hospital. A total of 109 physicians were included in the study. Results: Of the participants, 77.1% (n=84) was male and 22.9% (n=25) was female. On the other hand, the majority of participants (78.9%) was found to be in the 26-35 age group. Of the participating physicians, 84.4% was specialty students, 10.1% was Dr. lecturer, and 5.5% was associate professor. Considering the branches of physicians, 18.3% was gynecologist, 18.3% was orthopedics, 18.3% (n=60) was anesthesiologist - reanimation expert, 11.9% was general surgery physician, 8.3% was otorhinolaryngologist, and 7.3% was ophtalmologist. When the professional working times of physicians were examined, it was found that 61.5% had 1-5 years experience, 25.7% had 5-10 years experience and 12.8% had more than 10 years of experience. It was found that 73.4% (n=80) of the participants did not receive this training before, whereas 26.6% had received this training previously. Of the respondents, 98.17% answered the question "Of the blood products, which one doesn't require a cross-match before the transfusion" correctly by choosing the "fresh frozen plasma" option. The question, "Which one is wrong to prevent bacterial contamination and proliferation is blood products" was answered correctly by 71.56% of respondents with the option "Erythrocyte suspension should be used within 24-48 hours at room temperature (20- 24 °C)". The Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine whether blood transfusion knowledge level test results differed according to gender. As a result of the test, a statistically significant difference was observed between the blood transfusion knowledge levels of physicians in terms of gender (p<0.05). The Mann-Whitney U test was also used to investigate whether blood transfusion knowledge level test results differed according to the perevious training received on this subject. According to the test results, a statistically significant difference was found between the blood transfusion knowledge levels of physicians in terms of their previous training status on the subject (p<0.05). Conclusion: The mistakes in blood and blood product transfusion are highly preventable. Identification of the patient's identity adequately, and adequate communication among the health professionals are important in monitoring patients. Therefore, physicians who provide primary care and treatment to the patient should have adequate knowledge and skills about blood and blood product transfusion applications. Keywords: Surgeon, Physician, Blood, Blood Products, Transfusion