https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Index ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 Clinical outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients at Mthatha Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A retrospective study https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:53402 Tue 19 Jul 2022 16:30:23 SAST ]]> Prevalence and determinants of tobacco use amongst South African adults with mental illness in the Eastern Cape https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:53109 Thu 07 Mar 2024 15:15:50 SAST ]]> Doctors’ practice and attitudes towards red blood cell transfusion at Mthatha Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A mixed methods study https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:53088 8 g/dL. Six doctors participated in focus group and eleven in individual interviews. There was a lack of awareness of institutional transfusion guidelines, disagreement on appropriate RBC transfusion thresholds and comments that more than one RBC unit should always be transfused. Factors informing decisions to transfuse included advice from senior colleagues, relieving symptoms of anaemia and high product costs. Conclusion: Most orders were for two or more units. In medical anaemia, doctors’ compliance with RBC transfusion thresholds was reasonable; however, almost half of the orders would have resulted in overtransfusion. The attitudes of doctors sampled suggest that their transfusion practice is influenced more by institutional values than formal guidelines. Keywords: red blood cell transfusion; doctors’ attitudes; doctors’ practice; transfusion thresholds; overtransfusion; descriptive study; qualitative study.]]> Thu 07 Mar 2024 14:54:53 SAST ]]> Doctors’ practice and attitudes towards red blood cell transfusion at Mthatha Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A mixed methods study https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:57871 8 g/dL. Six doctors participated in focus group and eleven in individual interviews. There was a lack of awareness of institutional transfusion guidelines, disagreement on appropriate RBC transfusion thresholds and comments that more than one RBC unit should always be transfused. Factors informing decisions to transfuse included advice from senior colleagues, relieving symptoms of anaemia and high product costs. Conclusion: Most orders were for two or more units. In medical anaemia, doctors’ compliance with RBC transfusion thresholds was reasonable; however, almost half of the orders would have resulted in overtransfusion. The attitudes of doctors sampled suggest that their transfusion practice is influenced more by institutional values than formal guidelines. Keywords: red blood cell transfusion; doctors’ attitudes; doctors’ practice; transfusion thresholds; overtransfusion; descriptive study; qualitative study.]]> Thu 07 Mar 2024 14:54:00 SAST ]]>