91129 Transfusion Science
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Subject handbook information prior to 2020 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 91401 Immunology 1 OR 91563 Haematology 1
Description
This subject covers human blood groups, principles of donor blood compatibility and antigen/antibody reactions, detection and identification of serum antibodies, blood products, the safety of the blood supply and minimisation of transmission of infectious diseases, investigation of transfusion reactions, haemolytic disease of the newborn, platelet and leucocyte immunohaematology, transfusion in critical care situations, legal aspects of transfusion of blood products, stem cell transplantation, and cytokine stimulation of haemopoiesis.
This subject teaches the essential principles and practices of transfusion scientists who work in the clinical and research areas of transfusion science. As such, the practical side of the subject is designed to teach the basic tools and methods required to identify antibodies; and to determine if a transfusion reaction may occur by combining the results of the practical work with the material covered in the lecture series.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Describe the requirements for the safe transfusion of blood and blood products |
|---|---|
| 2. | Explain the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT) definitions of blood group systems, blood group antigens and the antibodies that define them |
| 3. | Identify and demonstrate how areas of quality assurance programs, regulation of therapeutic goods and the Human Tissue Act are used in the context of transfusion science |
| 4. | Perform and interpret the techniques of laboratory blood grouping, crossmatching, antibody screening and antibody identification |
| 5. | Explain the principles of transfusion and transplantation |
| 6. | Evaluate and consolidate information relating to transfusion science using data bases, regulatory websites, text books and scientific articles to report their findings to their cohort using written and oral communication styles |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following:
1. Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application
From the lecture material you will be provided with: detailed explanations of the ANZ- and I-SBT definitions of blood groups; the risks of transfusion and potential errors; fundamental information about other types of transfusions; be introduced to the various accreditation bodies, guidelines and processes; and the foundations of performing the techniques required to determine blood types.
The practical component of the course will then provide the opportunity for you to consolidate the information learnt in lectures and apply that knowledge in determining the blood groups of donor and recipient blood as you would in a clinical setting as well as by using case studies. Combined, this knowledge will enable you to formulate rational judgements about whether there is a risk of transfusion reaction.
In your assessments and some compulsory group work, you will be able to test your knowledge and apply it in a group setting as part of collaborative learning. You will get the opportunity to peer-review your colleagues as part of developing your team-based communication skills.
2. An Inquiry-oriented approach
You will be required to search organisational websites of government accrediting bodies as well as scientific literature to discover what is required in the approval process of new blood product.
By collecting and collating that information you will then be able to communicate that information back to your peers.
3. Professional skills and their appropriate application
You will develop personal organisation skills, teamwork skills, laboratory skills, blood testing and handling skills. You can obtain these skills through the practical, workshop and assessment components of the course.
As part of building skills in teamwork, you will have an opportunity to review yourself and your team in SPARK Plus.
5. Engagement with the needs of society
As blood transfusion is a high-risk medical procedure it relies on the highest level of accuracy by transfusion scientists. You will develop an understanding and be able to explain: the need for blood and blood products; blood transfusion and human tissue regulations; and the importance of blood transfusion practices to enable you to be a transfusion scientist.
6. Communication skills
Communication skills are practiced and expanded through multiple aspects of the course including practical classes and assessments. You will work in small groups to develop Learner-Generated Digital Media of the consolidated findings of your research of a blood product. Individually, you will then provide feedback to your team members on how they can better contribute in the “workplace”, and provide feedback on other digital media projects in your cohort.
Teaching and learning strategies
Transfusion Science is delivered in three distinct 4-week blocks, where each block concentrates on essential knowledge blocks of transfusion medicine: Basic Blood Grouping; Supply of Blood Products & Antibody Identification; and Advanced Investigations & Transfusion Practices.
Each week consists of a 2 hour lecture (Friday 5-7pm), 1 hour workshop (Tuesday 10-11am/11am-12pm) and 3 hour practical class (Monday 6-9pm). The lectures will present the theory that will be practiced in a workshop sessions as a series of questions and case studies, and in practical classes will allow you to apply the knowledge to a variety of blood testing techniques as well as interpretive tests.
Summary of the course
Weeks 1 to 4 focuses on Basic Blood Grouping, where you will learn about various clinically significant blood group systems while the practical gives you multiple opportunities to synthesize, conduct and interpret the ABO and Rh blood group testing procedures. At the end of the first block you will be assessed (in your practical class) on the theory and practical components using a number of case studies. There will be multiple choice and short answers style questions that will test your knowledge from lecture, workshop and practical material.
The second block, Supply of Blood Products & Antibody Identification, summarizes the legislation and logistics of supplying blood. We have guest lecturers who educate you about the National Blood Authority, Central Blood Supply, NATA, TGA and Patient Blood Management as well as how these work in synergy to control the movement of donor blood components. The practical classes teach the techniques to identify donor and recipients unexpected red cell phenotypes and antigen-specific antibodies that ensure the safe prescription of donor blood components. The end-of-block assessment (in your practical class) will test your knowledge of the legal and procedural requirements that various agents must adhere to for the safe supply of blood products. Case studies will be used to test your knowledge in both practical and theoretical aspects.
Following on from this block, there is also a group presentation assessment that you will submit in block 3. The assessment requires you to synthesise knowledge from block 2 and apply it to the production and supply of a commercially prepared blood product. The information you gather will cover the legislation around the production, storage and logistics of a blood product. The information you collect will be summarised into a digital media presentation that is produced as a group and will accompany a brief essay summarising the critical points and providing a succinct reflection of your own learning of digital media production.
The final block, Advanced Investigations & Transfusion Practices, will extend on both block 1 and 2 as it gives you the tools to investigate complex unexpected antibodies and synthesizes various aspects of both previous blocks and pre-requisite knowledge so you can understand the unique requirement of specialized transfusions, such as minor blood components, acute care and neonates. Assessments for this block will be divided into two components, to allow you to focus the practical component in one session and the theoretical component in the second session. During your practical you will performing a number of tests and collecting data from those tests. Then during the following lecture time slot you will be tested on theoretical aspects using multiple choice, short answer and case study questions. The 2-part exam allows for context-based learning, where you will not only learn by performing the tests, but also build on information you already know by interpreting the data and having you apply theoretical knowledge to case scenarios.
Strategies to help you learn
To facilitate your learning, there are various learning tools and activities that will keep you engaged and constantly revising your progress throughout each learning block.
There is an innovative flipped learning exercise. During a Block 1 workshop, you will synthesize information on blood group systems, summarize that information onto a google doc and present the information to your cohort. The information in the google doc will be distributed to the cohort and that information can be transcribed into relevant pages of your subject manual that you are advised to bring into all of your assessment tasks.
In lectures and workshops you will often be participating in menti, kahoot, google doc, UTS Online and survey monkey quizzes that can be completed individually of as part of a group. Many of these allow you to get immediate feedback to help direct your study.
In addition there is a set of revision quizzes, also with instant feedback, that review each major topic to help prepare you for the end-of-block exams. The 3 end-of-block exams are all restricted open book exams to which you can bring your subject manual. The exams are to ensure you have an opportunity to address any gaps in your knowledge during the subject. Many graduates from this subject can be hired directly into hospital transfusion laboratories or blood banks, where they make critical decisions about blood products to be given to patients. These are mostly life-saving, but a wrong decision is potentially life threatening, for that reason we will treat you as a transfusion scientist from Week 1.
Content (topics)
Upon completion of the lecture and practical material you will have knowledge of:
1. ANZBT definitions of blood group systems
2. How to utilize, report and determine the results of antibody tests
3. Using column agglutination as well as tube techniques
4. Types of transfusions and transplants
5. Transfusion reactions, their risks and severity
6. The organizations and regulations that govern blood transfusion medicine
7. When transfusions or blood compatibility may be important
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Theory and practical test 1
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application 2. An Inquiry-oriented approach 3. Professional skills and their appropriate application 5. Engagement with the needs of society 6. Communication skills |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 4 and 6 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): .0, .0, .0 and .0 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Criteria: | This assessment has both a practical component and a theoretical component. In the practical component students will work individually to perform ABO and Rh (D) typing using the tube and column agglutination techniques. There will be questions, short answer and multiple choice, on the theory component of the course Students will be assessed on: • Theory of blood group systems • Accuracy of performing laboratory tests • Accuracy of data collection and analysis • Correct interpretation • Correct reporting of laboratory tests |
Assessment task 2: Theory and practical test 2
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application 2. An Inquiry-oriented approach 3. Professional skills and their appropriate application 5. Engagement with the needs of society 6. Communication skills |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 5 and 6 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): .0, .0, .0, .0 and .0 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Criteria: | During their normal practical class students will be conducting an Abtect Screen and Phenocell Full Panel, answering multiple choice and short- and long-answer questions focusing on blood groups, central blood supply, NBA, PBM, NATA, crossmatch and acute care transfusion. Students will be assessed on the knowledge gained from lectures, tutorials and practical material up until the end of week 7.
Work individually to perform laboratory tests that include: ABO Group, and or Antibody Screen, and or Full Antibody Panel, to test compatibility of two patients/donors/recipients case studies. They will need to apply the knowledge of the course to the case studies, determine the risks of transfusion, perform practical application of blood tests, interpret results, accurately report the results and answer questions related to the case studies using knowledge gained in lectures, tutorials and practical classes. |
Assessment task 3: Regulation of therapeutic agents digital media presentation
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application 2. An inquiry-oriented approach 3. Professional skills and their appropriate application 5. Engagement with the needs of society 6. Communication skills |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): .0, .0, .0, .0 and .0 |
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Length: | 1. Prepare and submit a digital media presentation of approximately 8 minutes. 2. Write and submit a 500 word summary of the information learned about the product and short reflection on what you learned about digital media |
| Criteria: | Working in 3-4 person teams, you will research a blood product made by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. You will investigate its source, what the product is used for, its risks, storage information and identify what accreditation is required from governing bodies. This information needs to be consolidated into a short digital media presentation and brief essay summarising the product giving references to support your message and a reflection about what you have learnt about digital media. The digital media presentation will be submitted for peer and academic marking. The essay will be submitted for academic review. This assessment task has been designed for you to learn about the accreditation process and regulatory bodies involved for a blood product to be made as a commercial product. Secondarily, it is for you to expand your knowledge on presenting informion using digital media. The digital presentation and essay will be graded based on:
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Assessment task 4: Final theory and practical tests
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application 2. An inquiry-oriented approach 3. Professional skills and their appropriate application 6. Communication skills |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): .0, .0, .0 and .0 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Criteria: | Short-answer, long-answer and multiple choice theory and practical examination on material covered during the entire semester. The examination will also require the application of theoretical and practical knowledge and to perform testing of samples to answer questions on a number of case studies. Students will be assessed on the knowledge gained from lectures, workshops and practical material
In Part 1,Students will work individually to perform laboratory tests that include: ABO Group, and or Antibody Screen, and or Full Antibody Panel, and or crossmatching to test compatibility of two patients/donors/recipients case studies. They will need to apply the knowledge of the course to the case studies, determine the risks of transfusion, perform practical application of blood tests, interpret results, accurately report the results and answer questions related to the case studies using knowledge gained in lectures, workshops and practical classes. Part 2 will focus on application of knowledge from lecture materials. |
Minimum requirements
You are expected to attend all scheduled classes; lectures, workshops and practical classes.
You must obtain an overall mark of 50 or greater to pass the subject.
The minimum requirement for completion of this subject is at least 80% attendance at practical classes and workshops, unless a medical certificate or documented 'special consideration' forms are lodged.
Recommended texts
Harmening, D (6th edn) (2012) Modern Blood Banking and Transfusion Practices. FA Davis
Or
Overfield, Dawson and Hamer (2nd edn) (2008) Transfusion Science. Scion
References
Others as listed in Transfusion Science Practical Manual