CHENNAI: A study published in BMJ Open found that postgraduate doctors at a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Chennai had good knowledge of blood components and transfusion indications but showed gaps in awareness of national haemovigilance systems and transfusion-reaction reporting.
The study assessed postgraduate doctors' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding haemovigilance, the systematic monitoring and reporting of adverse events associated with blood transfusions. The researchers found that knowledge and positive attitudes did not consistently translate into optimal reporting practices and called for structured training and simpler institutional mechanisms.
The cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Chennai between August and September 2025. Of the 173 eligible postgraduate doctors invited to participate in a 32-item questionnaire, 150 completed it, recording a response rate of 86.7 per cent.
The participants' mean age was 29.3 years, and women accounted for 64 per cent of respondents. While the doctors demonstrated generally good knowledge of blood components and indications for transfusion, their awareness of the Haemovigilance Programme of India and the Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form was limited.
The study also found that practice scores were lower than knowledge and attitude scores, indicating that awareness did not always translate into appropriate reporting practices.
The researchers found no significant association between the doctors' postgraduate year of training or their department and their overall knowledge, attitude and practice categories.
However, statistical analysis showed a moderate positive correlation between knowledge and practice and a strong correlation between attitude and practice. This indicated that better knowledge and more positive attitudes were associated with better haemovigilance practices.
The researchers said timely reporting of adverse transfusion reactions was essential for identifying problems, analysing patterns and preventing their recurrence. They recommended structured haemovigilance training, greater awareness of national reporting mechanisms and simplified institutional pathways for reporting adverse transfusion reactions.
The authors also called for multicentre studies to determine whether similar gaps exist among postgraduate doctors in other healthcare settings.
Finding: Good knowledge of blood components and transfusion indications
Gap: Limited awareness of India’s Haemovigilance Programme and Transfusion Reaction Reporting Form
Concern: Knowledge did not consistently translate into optimal reporting practices
Recommendation: Structured training and simpler institutional reporting mechanisms