讀後心得

Experts call for hospitals to implement "precision transfusion" in response to the urgent shortage of blood supplies. As Taiwan faces aging and declining birth rates, the number of young people eligible to donate blood has decreased, while the number of middle-aged and older patients needing blood has increased. Although Taiwan has a high blood donation rate, the supply still cannot meet demand. Experts point out that hospitals should change transfusion standards based on new guidelines to reduce waste, and emphasize the need to strengthen physician education and regulation.

Experts urge that hospitals should implement "precision transfusion." In recent years, blood inventory in Taiwan has frequently faced shortages. The Taiwan Blood Services Foundation points out that, with the trends of an aging population and declining birth rates, the difficulty in sourcing blood has gradually increased. Currently, the age range for blood donation is 17 to 65 years old, but the number of young people able to donate blood is decreasing, while the number of middle-aged and elderly individuals in need of transfusions is on the rise.

Additionally, there is a waste of blood in hospitals. It is suggested that "precision transfusion" should be implemented to manage limited blood resources rationally. Although Taiwan's blood donation rate is among the highest globally, the supply of blood still cannot meet demand. Officials state that as Taiwan enters a super-aged society, the number of young and middle-aged individuals who can donate blood is gradually decreasing, and the willingness of the younger demographic to donate is also declining. With the increase in the elderly population, the demand for blood for various surgeries and cancer treatments is also growing. Every Monday, blood inventories in hospitals often fall below safe levels.

Officials recalled that recently, when their father was hospitalized, his hemoglobin dropped to 9g/dl, prompting the hospital to initiate a transfusion. However, they believe this approach is wasteful. According to expert advice, it would be more reasonable to perform transfusions only when hemoglobin falls below 7g/dl. While as a family member, they respect the doctor's advice, they still call for hospitals to promote the implementation of precision transfusion.

The director of the blood bank center at Tri-Service General Hospital mentioned that to cut costs, major hospitals are following the American surgical transfusion guidelines, changing the previous standard of transfusing blood when hemoglobin falls below 10, to transfusing only when it falls below 7 and symptoms appear. This can significantly reduce the amount of blood used. They also require doctors to elevate patients' hemoglobin to 10 before surgery; otherwise, performing a transfusion during the procedure not only wastes resources but may also negatively affect patient outcomes. However, they admit that many doctors are still accustomed to past practices and are quick to transfuse when seeing hemoglobin drop below 10. Truly implementing the new guidelines continues to face challenges. Hospitals can only keep educating doctors or strictly enforce blood usage limits during blood shortages.

The president of the Taiwan Blood Transfusion Society stated that only 20% of hospitals in the country have implemented new practices, and even some regional hospitals have higher transfusion rates than medical centers. He urges the National Health Insurance Administration to publish the blood usage statistics of each hospital and use administrative measures, such as evaluations, to review and manage blood usage patterns for various diseases to improve transfusion quality.