Patient and caregiver perceptions of the possibility of home blood transfusions.

Authors

• Adam F Binder
• Alavi Hossain
• Riyana Doshi
• Angelica Vivero
• Karla Martin Gonzalez
• Alexzandra Gentsch
• Lindsay Wilde
• Kristin L Rising

Publication/Presentation Date

3-1-2024

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) often develop transfusion dependence. The patient and caregiver burdens associated with the need for frequent transfusions are high. Home blood transfusions has the potential to reduce these burdens, but is not widely practiced in the United States. We designed a qualitative study to evaluate the patient and caregiver perceptions of the potential for a home blood transfusion program.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eligible patients included Adult (≥18 years) patients who were English speaking and met the definition for transfusion dependence within 3 months of study enrollment. We identified and interviewed eligible participants (patients and caregivers), using a semi-structured interview guide to elicit patient perceptions of the acceptability, barriers, and benefits related to home blood product transfusions. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Results were imported into NVivo 12 (version 12; QSR International, Burlington, VT) for coding and analysis.

RESULTS: We recruited participants until we reached thematic saturation, which occurred at 29 participants (20 patients, 9 caregivers). Among the 20 patient participants, nine had MDS (45%) and 11 had acute leukemia (55%). Most of the patients (60%) reported getting one transfusion per week. Four themes emerged when the participants discussed their perception regarding the potential of a home blood transfusion program: (1) current in-person experience, (2) caregiver burden, (3) perceptions of home blood transfusions, and (4) interest in participating in a home blood transfusion program.

CONCLUSION: The concept of home blood transfusions was well received and further research to study its implementation is warranted.

Volume

64

Issue

3

First Page

483

Last Page

492

ISSN

1537-2995

Published In/Presented At

Binder, A. F., Hossain, A., Doshi, R., Vivero, A., Gonzalez, K. M., Gentsch, A., Wilde, L., & Rising, K. L. (2024). Patient and caregiver perceptions of the possibility of home blood transfusions. Transfusion, 64(3), 483–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.17728

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

38263774

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article