Assessing Nurses Knowledge and Practices Regarding Safe Blood Transfusion in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Peshawar

Abstract

Background: Safe blood transfusion is a critical component of hospital care and depends heavily on the knowledge and clinical competence of nurses involved in patient preparation, bedside verification, monitoring, and early recognition of transfusion reactions. Despite established guidelines, transfusion-related errors remain a preventable source of patient harm. Objective: To assess nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding safe blood transfusion in tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar and to examine the association of knowledge level with selected demographic and professional characteristics. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 168 bedside nurses recruited through convenience sampling from Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, and Northwest General Hospital. Data were collected using a structured adopted questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and practice related to safe blood transfusion. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 with descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and correlation analysis. Results: Of the 168 participants, 55.4% were male and 62.5% were aged 25-29 years. Overall, 29.8% of nurses had low knowledge, 57.7% had moderate knowledge, and 12.5% had high knowledge regarding safe blood transfusion. Knowledge level was not significantly associated with age (p = 0.276), gender (p = 0.966), or hospital affiliation (p = 0.908). However, educational qualification showed a significant association with knowledge level (p = 0.005), and higher qualification was positively correlated with better knowledge. Conclusion: Nurses’ knowledge regarding safe blood transfusion was predominantly moderate and insufficiently advanced for optimal transfusion safety. Strengthening structured training, competency assessment, and transfusion-related nursing education may improve knowledge and support safer clinical practice.