How to give a blood transfusion
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Most fatal transfusion errors are identification errors. The bedside check is the most important step.
Step by step
Before
Order, consent, type and crossmatch, IV of 20 G or larger with normal saline only. [1]
Two-person check
At the bedside: patient identifiers, blood type, unit number, expiry, against the wristband and order. [2]
Baseline vital signs
Temperature, pulse, breathing, blood pressure, saturation. [1]
Start slowly
Stay with the patient for the first 15 minutes, then recheck vital signs. [1]
Finish in time
Each unit within 4 hours of leaving the bank. [1]
If a reaction
Fever, chills, hives, back pain, breathlessness or low blood pressure: stop, keep the vein open with new saline tubing, call, send the bag back. [1]
Common errors
- One-person check.
- Dextrose in the line.
- Leaving in the first 15 minutes.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) and OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.