Global

Blood transfusion safety: Bedside checks, reactions and anticoagulation

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 25 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
45 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At induction and before first giving blood
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Course preview
Interactive course

Scenarios, sorting activities and quizzes with feedback on every answer.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 45 minutes
  • 2 video slots (you add the videos)
  • Scenario, process, flashcards, sorting activity and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 11 slides
  • Word cloud slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 136.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
LO 136.1.1Identify a patient positively and label a pre-transfusion sample correctly at the bedsideSHOT Transfusion Aide Memoire 2024Lesson 1: Positive patient identification and sample labelling
LO 136.2.1Carry out the bedside pre-transfusion checks and the observations your policy requires + your infoSHOT Transfusion Aide Memoire 2024; NICE NG24Lesson 2: Bedside pre-transfusion checks
LO 136.3.1Recognise signs of an acute transfusion reaction and take the immediate actionsSHOT Transfusion Aide Memoire 2024; NICE NG24Lesson 3: Recognising and managing transfusion reactions
LO 136.4.1Activate and support your major haemorrhage protocol without delay + your infoNICE NG39; Annual SHOT Report 2025Lesson 4: Major haemorrhage protocol
LO 136.5.1Support VTE risk assessment and spot warning signs of clots and bleeding in patients on anticoagulants + your infoNICE NG89; NHS websiteLesson 5: Anticoagulants and VTE prevention

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 25 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 45 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Positive patient identification and sample labelling

3 pages

9 min
Before you beginNoteYour infoList
Why identity is everythingTextKey factFlashcardsQuiz
Taking and labelling the sampleStep-by-stepYour infoNoteYour infoScenarioQuiz
2

Bedside pre-transfusion checks

3 pages

8 min
Before you collect the bloodTextAccordionYour infoYour infoYour infoMulti-select quiz
The final check, at the bedsideTextProcessImageNoteYour infoYour infoSorting activityQuiz
Watching the patientTextTimelineNoteYour info
3

Recognising and managing transfusion reactions

3 pages

8 min
What a reaction looks likeTextFlashcardsKey fact
The first minutesProcessYour infoNoteScenarioQuiz
After the emergencyChecklistYour infoNoteYour infoQuiz
4

Major haemorrhage protocol

2 pages

6 min
Start it earlyTextKey factTabsYour infoYour infoYour infoQuiz
Medicines that matter in bleedingTextNoteYour infoScenarioQuiz
5

Anticoagulants and VTE prevention

3 pages

8 min
Assess every patientTextProcessYour infoNoteQuiz
Two warning signs to watch forTabsNoteYour infoSorting activity
Going home safelyTextChecklistYour infoQuiz
6

Final assessment

2 pages

6 min
Final assessmentTextQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteYour infoButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

11 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

Title + agenda (+ notesTemplate only, not clinical advice; every case today is fictional; follow local policy.")
Word cloudOne word: what makes a bedside check hard on a busy shift?
Pick answerWhich is positive patient identification?" - Patient states full name and date of birth, checked against wristband ✔ / You read the name and the patient nods / The relative confirms / The bed-head card matches [MED-06-V01] [MED-06-V02]
Content · customiseOur sample labelling rules and bedside checklist {{SAMPLE_LABELLING_RULES}}, {{BEDSIDE_CHECKLIST}}
Correct orderObservation points - Baseline within 1 hour before → 15 minutes after start → Within 1 hour after finishing [MED-06-V12]
PickPick answer (fictional case, notes say "fictional"): "Twenty minutes in, Mrs Patel is breathless. First action?" - Stop, keep line open, assess ABC, call for help ✔ / Slow the rate / Finish the unit quickly / Recheck in an hour [MED-06-V17]
True or falseTransfusion reactions only happen in the first 15 minutes." - False ✔ [MED-06-V16]
Content + poll · customiseDo you know our major haemorrhage number without looking?" - Yes / Not sure / No; reveal {{MAJOR_HAEMORRHAGE_NUMBER}}
CategoriseEscalate now / Mention at handover - severe headache on an anticoagulant (Escalate now) · calf swelling plus chest pain (Escalate now) · patient asking about their VTE assessment (Mention at handover) [MED-06-V34] [MED-06-V35]
Scales 1-5How confident are you to stop a transfusion and call for help if something feels wrong?
ClosingClosing - {{SURVEY_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}, {{EDUCATOR_CONTACT}}, {{TRANSFUSION_PRACTITIONER_CONTACT}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you to… grid
  6. Since the course, have you seen a sample labelled away from the bedside? multiple choice
  7. What would help most? multiple choice
  8. I feel able to stop a transfusion or refuse to take an unlabelled sample, even when the team is under pressure. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find our major haemorrhage number and the transfusion practitioner's contact? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

25 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • How and by whom practical competency is assessed and recorded{{TRANSFUSION_COMPETENCY_PROCESS}}
  • Laboratory minimum identifiers and handwritten / printed label rules{{SAMPLE_LABELLING_RULES}}
  • When a second group sample is needed{{GROUP_CHECK_SAMPLE_POLICY}}
  • Irradiated, antigen-negative and other special requirements and how they are flagged{{SPECIAL_REQUIREMENTS_LIST}}
  • Local TACO risk assessment tool{{TACO_CHECKLIST}}
  • Maximum time from removal from storage to completion, and the return rule for unused units{{TIME_LIMIT_FROM_STORAGE}}
Show all 25 fields
  • Local bedside checklist and one- or two-person checking rule{{BEDSIDE_CHECKLIST}}
  • Whether an electronic bedside identification system is used{{ELECTRONIC_ID_SYSTEM}}
  • Local transfusion observation schedule{{OBSERVATION_POLICY}}
  • The medical emergency number{{EMERGENCY_CALL_NUMBER}}
  • Incident reporting system{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_SYSTEM}}
  • Haemovigilance scheme{{HAEMOVIGILANCE_SCHEME}}
  • Major haemorrhage number{{MAJOR_HAEMORRHAGE_NUMBER}}
  • Mhp roles{{MHP_ROLES}}
  • Emergency ID policy{{EMERGENCY_ID_POLICY}}
  • Mhp drug guidance{{MHP_DRUG_GUIDANCE}}
  • Vte risk tool{{VTE_RISK_TOOL}}
  • Anticoagulant policy{{ANTICOAGULANT_POLICY}}
  • Anticoagulation service contact{{ANTICOAGULATION_SERVICE_CONTACT}}
  • Transfusion practitioner contact{{TRANSFUSION_PRACTITIONER_CONTACT}}
  • Educator contact{{EDUCATOR_CONTACT}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Survey URL{{SURVEY_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run blood transfusion safety: Bedside checks, reactions and anticoagulation training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At induction and before first giving blood, then a regular update and competency reassessment at the interval your organisation sets (organisation policy).

Who needs this training?

Registered nurses and midwives who give blood components, healthcare assistants and phlebotomists who take pre-transfusion samples, porters and staff who collect blood, transfusion laboratory staff, junior doctors.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck