Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service: Translational Simulation to Explore the Efficacy of the National Transfusion Record
The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) Transfusion Team undertook a review, refresh and update of the National Transfusion Record (NTR) in 2025, which is utilized in every healthboard in Scotland to allow Registered Practitioners to authorise blood components for patients and record associated consent and administration details.
The team who was given this responsibility was led by Louisa Wood Transfusion Practitioner, supported by Jane Oldham Transfusion Practitioner, Jill Gardiner Transfusion Practitioner and Bryan Beattie Transfusion Support Assistant. As the project progressed it was suggested that the NTR should undergo further testing using translational simulation.
The team contacted a subject matter expert (the Director of the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors) who gave the team advice on what a translational sim was.
Jill Gardiner ran the simulation as she is also a Clinical Educator for NHS Dumfries and Galloway and has over 10 years of simulation experience. Translational simulation was used to test the NTR document, highlight its efficacy and areas for improvement when used in the clinical area. The team also gathered feedback from the staff who were involved in the simulation to ascertain if the document required further modification or if the document was ready to move to the next stage of development.
This was the first time that translation simulation had ever been used by the SNBTS Transfusion Team, and it was the first time it was utilized by the team to guide the development of a national document