Resources relating to transfusion under the following topics:
- safety alerts and product updates
- Transfusion Practitioner role resources
- clinical education resources
- pre-transfusion blood sample collection and compatibility testing
- prescription, patient blood management and consent
- blood administration
- adverse events
- health service and blood management committee resources
- articles authored/co-authored by the Blood Matters team published in leading peer-reviewed journals.
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Comparing Beriplex with Prothrombinex
Blood Matters has developed a document comparing the new four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate, Beriplex with the soon to be discontinued three-factor, Prothrombin complex concentrate.
Comparison Prothrombinex Beriplex factsheet (PDF)Comparison Prothrombinex Beriplex factsheet (Word)Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) safety notice – look-alike, sound-alike products
There is a potential for prescription, dispensing and administration errors due to the look-alike, sound-alike IVIg and SCIg products. See the safety notice for more information.
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) safety notice – look-alike, sound-alike productsIntravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) safety notice – look-alike, sound-alike products -
Transfusion practitioner position description
The position description is a generic document covering a variety of Transfusion Practitioner roles including TN, TT, BMNC, TSO, TQO. Select the relevant sections when developing your Transfusion Practitioner position description.
Transfusion Practitioner position descriptionTransfusion Practitioner position descriptionBlood management and transfusion practice handbook
The handbook is designed to provide some foundational knowledge for the Transfusion Practitioner role.
Blood management and transfusion practice handbookBlood management and transfusion practice handbookLifeblood Microcredentials for Transfusion Practitioners
The microcredentials is a series of 7 modules aimed at helping the Transfusion Practitioner gain fundamental knowledge to fulfill their role. Access the modules .
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Pretransfusion blood sample collection and compatibility testing
- The ABCD of blood sampling poster.
- Lifeblood Component Compatibility for blood compatibility.
Minimal blood sampling 2019Prescription, patient blood management and consent
- Nurse Practitioner prescribing refer to the ANZSBT guidelines for the prescription of blood and blood products by nurse
- Blood Matters has developed the RhD immunoglobulin prophylaxis infographic poster to promote best practice and the provision of relevant information. RhD immunoglobulin administered to pregnant RhD negative women can help prevent haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
Prophylactic use of RhD immunoglobulin for RhD-negative women - info graphicProphylactic use of RhD immunoglobulin for RhD-negative women- ANZSBT and RACP Top-five recommendations on low-value transfusion
- National Blood resources:
- Lifeblood resource
Updated recommendations for warfarin reversal in the setting of four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate
Following the release of Beriplex, a four-factor prothrombin complex concentrate, there has been an update to the recommendations for warfarin reversal. For more information, read Updated recommendations for warfarin reversal in the setting of four‐factor prothrombin complex .
As per the CSL Behring Beriplex Key Account Executive, the main recommendations are:
- 4FPCC should be used instead of 3FPCC, using the same suggested dose, Vitamin K co-administration is still recommended for more sustained reversal.
- The use of 4FPCC for urgent warfarin reversal obviates the need for co-administration of fresh frozen plasma.
Beriplex Approved PI is available at CSL Behring product
Blood administration
- Blood administration competency template. Designed to help assess nursing staff competence in blood administration.
Blood administration competency templateBlood administration competency template- The '30-minute 4-hour rule – what does it mean?' poster explains what the 30-minute 4-hour rule means for clinical practice.
30-minute 4 hour rule - What does it mean?- A resource to help with double independent checking.
Double independent pretransfusion checkDouble independent pretransfusion check- Resources to assist with spiking procedures for Macopharma blood bags. Includes a poster and swing tag.
Blood Matters and Macopharma - spiking procedures (poster)Blood Matters and Macopharma - spiking procedures (swing tag)Adverse events
- Refer to Lifeblood Adverse events .
- Refer to the Serious Transfusion Incident Reporting system (STIR) page.
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Emergency blood management plan template
The National Blood Authority has developed a National blood (NBSCP) to ensure a rapid response should there be threat to the safe and adequate supply of blood.
It is expected that health services have an emergency blood management plan to ensure an appropriate response should the NBSCP be activated.
The template is designed to be modified by health services to suit local requirements, while meeting the intention of the NBSCP.
Victorian emergency blood management plan template (Word)Traceability of blood products
For relevant information, see section 2, Minimum retention times, of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's Requirements for the retention of laboratory records and diagnostic .
Blood Matters clinical education
Twice yearly Blood Matters runs a series of virtual education sessions designed for clinical staff covering the fundamentals of blood management and safe transfusion practice.
These sessions are promoted via Blood Matters updates and in the What’s new section on Blood Matters program.
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February 2025
February 2025 - Blood Management Committee reportFebruary 2025 - Blood Management Committee reportAugust 2024
August 2024 - Blood Management Committee reportAugust 2024 - Blood Management Committee reportFebruary 2024
February 2024 - Blood Management Committee reportFebruary 2024 - Blood Management Committee reportPrevious reports February 2017 to August 2023
August 2023 - Blood Management Committee reportAugust 2023 - Blood Management Committee reportFebruary 2023 - Blood Management Committee reportFebruary 2023 - Blood Management Committee reportAugust 2022 - Blood Management Committee reportAugust 2022 - Blood Management Committee report -
- Tan M, Zacher N, French R, Borosak M, Lennard S, Le Viellez A, Benson S, Daly J (2022) ‘Guidance for transfusion management in patients receiving magrolimab therapy (anti-CD47 monoclonal ’, Internal Medicine Journal, 52: 2165-2171. doi.org/10.1111/imj.15934
- Crispin P, Akers C, Brown K, Delaforce A, Keegan A, King F, Ormerod A, and Verrall T (2022) 'A review of electronic medical records and safe transfusion practice for guideline ', Vox sanguinis, 117(6):761-768. doi:10.1111/vox.13254
- Deelen R, Costermans E, Moss R, and Akers C (2019) 'Disaster planning: the role of the transfusion ', Vox Sanguinis, 14:98-103. doi.org/10.1111/voxs.12454
- Bielby L, Moss R, Mo A, McQuilten Z, and Wood E (2019) 'The role of the transfusion practitioner in the management of ', Vox Sanguinis, 15:82-90. doi: 10.1111/voxs. 12523
- Akers C, Savoia H, Kane S, Crispin P, Keegan A, Wood E, Glazebrook B, Bielby L, and Davis AK (2019) 'Misinterpretation of blood group and antibody screen leading to serious errors in RhD immunoglobulin administration: A report on first two years of data from Serious Transfusion Incident Reporting ', The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 59:161-164. doi:10.1111/ajo.12889
- Bielby L, Moss RL, (2018), Patient blood management and the importance of the Transfusion Practitioner role to embed this into ,Transfusion Medicine, 2:98-106. doi:10.1111/tme.12526
- Bielby L, Peterson D, Spigiel T (2018) 'Transfusion education for nurses and transfusion practitioners in ', Vox Sanguinis, 13:259-267. doi:10.1111/voxs.12409
- Bielby L, Haberfield A, Kelsey G, Kay S (2018) 'The role of the transfusion practitioner in the multidisciplinary ', Vox Sanguinis, 13:338-346. doi:10.1111/voxs.12408
- Hennessy C, Borosak M, Bielby L, Stevenson LJ, Glazebrook B (2016) 'Documentation of consent for blood ', Internal Medicine Journal, 46(12):1443–1446. doi:10.1111/imj.13276
- Bielby L, Moss, R, Deelan, R (2016) 'The role of the transfusion ', Transfusion Today, 109:64.
- Bielby L, Akers C, Francis S, Darby S, Campbell L, Hollis L, Quested B, Hogan C (2016) 'The role of the transfusion safety coordinator in ', Vox Sanguinis, 11(1):118–125. doi:10.1111/voxs.12201
- Bielby L, Akers C, Perillo J, Sieradzki N, Pollock C, Nasra F, Polack C, McGregor S, Bastin K, and Pearse B (2014) 'Patient blood management initiatives in the perioperative setting', ACORN: The Journal of Perioperative Nursing in Australia, 27(4):8–14. doi.10.3316/informit.871157121374829
- Anderson MA, Glazebrook B, Cutts B, Stevenson L, Bielby L, Borosak M (2013) 'When do we transfuse ', Internal Medicine Journal 43(8): 847–958. doi:10.1111/imj.12104
- Bielby L. (2012) The role of the transfusion practitioner. International survey of Clinical Transfusion practice improvement programs 2011. Transfusion Today 90:5
- Bielby L, Stevenson L, Wood E (2012) 'Clinical Transfusion practice improvement programs in Australia', Transfusion Today, 90:6
- Bielby L, Stevenson L, Wood E (2011) 'The role of the transfusion nurse in the hospital and blood centre' International Society of Blood Transfusion Science Series, 6:270–276. doi.10.1111/j.1751-2824.2011.01537.x
- Miller K, Akers C, Davis AK, Wood E, Hennessy C, Bielby L (2015) 'The evolving role of the transfusion practitioner', Transfusion Medicine Reviews, 29(2):138–144. doi:10.1016/j.tmrv.2014.08.005
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Publications from 2003 to 2008 include:
- 2008: Transfusion Governance Survey Report
- 2007: Second report of the Victorian Better Safer Transfusion (BeST) Program 2
- 2006-07: Serious Transfusion Incident Report
- 2006: Better Safer Transfusion (BeST) Serious Transfusion Incident Reporting (STIR) system pilot
- 2006: Victoria's Better Safer Transfusion (BeST) Program report
- 2005: Towards Better Safer Blood Transfusion - A report for the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care
- 2004: Blood Matters Improvement Guide Final Report
- 2003: Blood Matters Project - results of consumer study.
These are available on request from the Blood Matters program.
Reviewed 17 March 2025