Transfusion Practice - Advanced Concepts

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Distance (online)

The content for the three theory subjects will be delivered via:

• Text based Distance Learning Packages are delivered via a web-enabled Learning Management System (LMS) called SOLE
• Video presentations (sent out on CD) and the accompanying PowerPoint presentation notes (downloadable in PDF format via the LMS) are provided
• The practical Transfusion Specialty Practice subject is delivered through the use of a clinical practice portfolio.

The on-line facilitator is available online on Thursday (allocated class day, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm EAST) to respond to emails and check discussion postings and monitor progress on discussion threads. The on-line facilitator is also contactable at other times by email. Appointments for telephone discussions need to be made prior.

170 hours per 12.5 credit point subject.

It is advisable to allocate at least 7 hours per week to study. This includes reading the distance learning packages and watching the videos as well as completing activities, answering questions posted and participating in the weekly discussions. The recommended and suggested readings accompanying each topic will assist in this process.

This course is delivered entirely online so you will need to organise your time accordingly.

To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in GC-TRNSPRC. This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Overview, Objectives and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Student Equity and Disability Support Team: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject builds on the information discussed in the fundamentals subject to provide the student with more advanced knowledge regarding the types, investigations and management of transfusion transmitted infections.

It provides clinical practice guidelines for the utilisation of fresh blood products, the function of immunomodulation and the HLA system, transfusion in a specialised setting covering specialised blood products and individual factor replacements. It incorporates the role of Apheresis in transfusion practice and discussion around the alternatives to blood transfusion.

At the completion of the subject, students should:

• Comprehend at a more advanced level the clinical and physiological responses to transfusion
• Describe transfusion in some specialised clinical settings, such as paediatrics and trauma
• Understand the use of specialised blood products including individual factor replacements

70% of assessment: Completion of 7 Worksheets (short answers) which are completed progressively through the semester and submitted altogether at the end of the semester.

20% of assessment: Resources Portfolio due at the end of the semester. The purpose of the resource portfolio is to assist students in identifying knowledge deficits in relation to various topics covered in the subject, and to source further material/resources to assist them in expanding their knowledge in the areas where a knowledge deficit is identified.
Materials and resources sourced should include a selection of the following: Current research articles & publications, Current text books & journals, Web sites/ pages, Audiovisual material, Newspaper articles, Brochures, Drug fact sheets, etc. A brief worksheet will accompany each selected topic.

10% of assessment: Participation in remote learning forums. Student must contribute to questions posted on the forum and participate in discussion threads on a weekly basis.

The Clinical Use of Blood in Medicine, Obstetrics, Paediatrics, Surgery and Anaesthesia, Trauma and Burns by the World Health Organisation , Blood Transfusion Safety, Geneva (2002)

• Transfusion Medicine in Practice edited by Jennifer Duguid, Lawrence Goodnough and Michael Desmond (2002)
• Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services (21st Edition) American Association of Blood Banks (2002)
• Daileys Notes on Blood (4th Edition) John F Daley (2002) Medical Consulting Group USA
• Guidelines for Blood Utilization Review (2001) American Association of Blood Banks (2002)
• Essential Haematology (3rd Edition) A.V. Hoffbrand & J.E. Pettit: Blackwell Science
• Transfusion Medicine in Practice (2002) J. Duduid, T. Goodnough, M. Desmond (Editors) Martin Dunitz Ltd
• Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology (6th Edition) Frederic Martini (2003) Prentice Hall
• Clinical Risk Management: Enhancing patient safety (2001) Charles Vincent BMJ publishers

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

• Develop knowledge and confidence in the practice of blood transfusion
• Improve skills in reflective thinking on subject material and recommended readings