PMID: 11338799May 8, 2001Paper

Evaluation of a decision aid for patients considering autologous blood donation before open-heart surgery

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L'Association Medicale Canadienne
F C GrantJ Robblee

Abstract

Patients undergoing open-heart surgery frequently require one or more blood transfusions. Because of the risks of receiving blood from volunteer donors, some patients choose to donate their own blood before surgery. This reduces their risk of exposure to volunteer-donated blood, but it increases their chance of receiving any transfusion, either of self-donated or volunteer-donated blood. Also, preoperative hemoglobin levels tend to be lower in patients who donate their own blood, and surgeons may be more likely to give transfusions to patients with self-donated blood. To help patients decide whether to donate their blood before surgery, we designed a decision aid comprising a booklet and audiotape and assessed its effectiveness. The 59 study subjects were a sample of consecutive patients referred to the Ottawa Heart Institute between Oct. 1, 1998, and Jan. 5, 1999, for future coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery or combined surgery. All were eligible to donate blood. Initial questionnaires were administered in the clinic by a physician or study nurse, and follow-up questionnaires were completed at home and mailed in after use of the decision aid. Outcome measures included patients' knowledge, values (importance rating...Continue Reading

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