Audit of Blood Transfusion Practice and Transfusion Reactions at Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State

Rational blood transfusion practice is a patient safety priority in Nigerian tertiary hospitals, where blood product shortages, inadequate crossmatching, and insufficient haemovigilance systems contribute to preventable transfusion-related adverse events. This study audits blood transfusion practices and documents transfusion reaction profiles at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, South East Nigeria. A retrospective record review design is applied to transfusion request forms, blood bank records, and case notes of all patients who received blood transfusions over a two-year period from 2021 to 2022. Variables include pre-transfusion haemoglobin level, indication for transfusion, blood product type, crossmatch compatibility, transfusion reaction type and severity, and clinical outcome. SPSS is used for descriptive analysis. Available haemovigilance literature from South East Nigeria identifies unnecessary transfusions triggered by a haemoglobin threshold above 8g/dL as the most common prescribing deviation, with febrile non-haemolytic reactions constituting the majority of adverse events. The British Committee for Standards in Haematology guidelines provide the normative transfusion practice framework. Findings will support the hospital blood transfusion committee in refining institutional transfusion guidelines and establishing a formal haemovigilance reporting system. Keywords: blood transfusion, haemovigilance, transfusion reactions, Owerri, South East Nigeria.