To evaluate the effectiveness of anemia management and audit with feedback practices in reducing overuse of RBC transfusion.
This review follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Laboratory Medicine Best Practice Systematic Review (A-6) method. We searched the literature and solicited unpublished studies on practices to reduce overuse of RBC transfusions as measured by reductions in units transfused and proportion of patients transfused.
Thirteen studies on preoperative anemia management and three studies on audit feedback practices met inclusion criteria. Strength of evidence was high to moderate for reducing the number of units and proportion of patients transfused.
Preoperative anemia management reduces the proportion of patients transfused and units of RBCs transfused. Audit with feedback across cases, physicians, and/or service areas, as part of a continuous quality improvement practice, reduces the proportion of patients and units of RBCs transfused.