{"title":"Transfusion Testing During Routine Pregnancies: Consensus Recommendations from a Modified Delphi Process","authors":"Heather VanderMeulen MD, MSc , Mira Shuman MD, CFFP, MScCh , Poh Nyuk Fam MD, RM, RN , Robyn Berman RM, MBA , Jeannie Callum BA, MD , Gwen Clarke MD , Lani Lieberman MD , Catharine Walsh MD, MEd, PhD , Julie Thorne MD, MPH , Matthew T.S. Yan MD","doi":"10.1016/j.jogc.2025.103034","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To standardize perinatal transfusion testing and Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG) administration in low-risk pregnancies through the creation of expert consensus statements.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A modified Delphi consensus process involving iterative rounds of voting on statements by a national expert panel. After each round, responses were analyzed and resent to the panel for further ratings until consensus was achieved, defined as Cronbach’s alpha >0.95 or a maximum of 3 voting rounds. Once consensus was achieved, statements with a median score ≥4 out of 5 were included.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Forty-six expert panellists participated, with representation across Canadian provinces and care providers including maternal–fetal medicine, obstetrics, family practice, transfusion medicine, neonatology, midwifery, nursing, and a patient representative. Twenty-one statements related to perinatal transfusion testing and RhIG administration met criteria for inclusion in the final set of statements. The 2 statements with the lowest proportion of “strongly agree” votes pertained to eliminating the 28-week group and screen in those with negative first-trimester screens and eliminating the need for RhIG before 12<sup>0</sup> weeks in threatened, spontaneous, or therapeutic abortions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These 21 expert consensus statements aim to harmonize perinatal practice across Canada, addressing conflicting guidelines and resource limitations, especially in rural settings. This is the first set of expert consensus statements that captures the Canadian context, with coverage from the first trimester to the birth of the neonate. These statements follow Choosing Wisely principles. Some are practice-changing and will require efforts to ensure implementation into practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16688,"journal":{"name":"Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada","volume":"47 9","pages":"Article 103034"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1701216325002804","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
To standardize perinatal transfusion testing and Rh immunoglobulin (RhIG) administration in low-risk pregnancies through the creation of expert consensus statements.
Methods
A modified Delphi consensus process involving iterative rounds of voting on statements by a national expert panel. After each round, responses were analyzed and resent to the panel for further ratings until consensus was achieved, defined as Cronbach’s alpha >0.95 or a maximum of 3 voting rounds. Once consensus was achieved, statements with a median score ≥4 out of 5 were included.
Results
Forty-six expert panellists participated, with representation across Canadian provinces and care providers including maternal–fetal medicine, obstetrics, family practice, transfusion medicine, neonatology, midwifery, nursing, and a patient representative. Twenty-one statements related to perinatal transfusion testing and RhIG administration met criteria for inclusion in the final set of statements. The 2 statements with the lowest proportion of “strongly agree” votes pertained to eliminating the 28-week group and screen in those with negative first-trimester screens and eliminating the need for RhIG before 120 weeks in threatened, spontaneous, or therapeutic abortions.
Conclusions
These 21 expert consensus statements aim to harmonize perinatal practice across Canada, addressing conflicting guidelines and resource limitations, especially in rural settings. This is the first set of expert consensus statements that captures the Canadian context, with coverage from the first trimester to the birth of the neonate. These statements follow Choosing Wisely principles. Some are practice-changing and will require efforts to ensure implementation into practice.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC) is Canada"s peer-reviewed journal of obstetrics, gynaecology, and women"s health. Each monthly issue contains original research articles, reviews, case reports, commentaries, and editorials on all aspects of reproductive health. JOGC is the original publication source of evidence-based clinical guidelines, committee opinions, and policy statements that derive from standing or ad hoc committees of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. JOGC is included in the National Library of Medicine"s MEDLINE database, and abstracts from JOGC are accessible on PubMed.