Point-of-care hemoglobin testing: Supporting the goal of patient blood management

Patient Blood Management (PBM) is an emerging clinical concept designed to reduce unnecessary, excessive and avoidable blood transfusions.  Interest in PBM has grown rapidly throughout the world as new evidence demonstrates a strong association between transfusion and a variety of healthcare care complications (infections, pulmonary injury, and mortality).  Reducing transfusion exposure in hospitals has the dual benefit of significantly reducing costs while improving safety and outcomes.  PBM Programs often utilize a variety of resources and technologies to optimize blood management, including point-of-care testing. Point-of-care Hemoglobin testing has been widely used in hospitals and published in the literature as an evidence based strategy to support transfusion management.  This presentation will focus on practical applications of POCT Hgb to improve the recognition and management of anemia, support the paradigm shift of RBC transfusion as single units with reassessment, and optimize transfusion decision making in the anemic or bleeding patient.
 
Learning objectives

1. Describe how optimal transfusion practice and patient blood management can result in reduced health care costs and improved patient outcomes
2. Define how point-of-care Hemoglobin testing can improve recognition/management of anemia and transfusion decision making in the bleeding patient