Patient blood management implementation in light of new Italian laws on patient's safety. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bolcato, Matteo; Russo, Marianna; Rodriguez, Daniele; Aprile, Anna
• Is Part Of: Transfusion and apheresis science. Volume 59:Number 4(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Patient blood management -- Clinical risk management -- Patient safety -- Medical liability; Blood -- Transfusion -- Periodicals; Hemapheresis -- Periodicals; 615.39
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2020.102811
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-0502

Abstract

Highlights: Scientific evidence shows that PBM is a treatment package that improves patient outcomes. The new Italian law on patient's safety supports the implementation of the PBM. The implementation of the PBM protects hospitals and doctors from medical-legal disputes. Abstract: The present work aims to analyze the impact - from legal and medical perspective - of the recent Italian legislative provisions on the subject of healthcare safety, and how these affect current transfusion practices, also in light of the accumulation of evidence deriving from the implementation of the Patient Blood Management (PBM) program. The scientific evidence shows that PBM is a bundle of care that improves patient outcomes including mortality and morbidity, improves the quality of life of patients and the population, reduces healthcare costs and decreases consumption of blood components. These aspects should be largely sufficient to carry out an urgent implementation of PBM in Italian hospitals. However, it is now also possible to indicate a further incentive for implementation which is made up of medico-legal aspects and is characterized by the need to decrease the intrinsic risks of the use of blood products so as to protect doctors and hospitals from possible future medico-legal disputes regarding adverse transfusion events that could be effectively avoided.