The use of social media as a tool for patient blood management and transfusion medicine education.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transfusion is one of the most performed medical procedures. Wrong indications are common and are probably related to the scarcity of transfusion teaching during medical education. The development of a new way to improve transfusion education is paramount. Social media has the potential to reach larger audiences for rapid communication of medical content. The use of social media for transfusion education in Brazil has not been published. The aim of this article is to describe a new tool to improve transfusion learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Evidence-based cards were created. Initially, these cards were sent by WhatsApp. Later, Instagram and Facebook pages were created. EducaSangue, as this e-learning project was called, is a tool for the spreading of transfusion knowledge that permits the exchange of experiences. RESULTS: By April 2021, Facebook and Instagram pages had 8300 and 5100 followers, respectively. Cards about single red blood cell (RBC) unit, alternatives to transfusion, transfusion reactions and pre-transfusion tests were published. Doctors and other health professionals follow EducaSangue. RBC transfusions reduced in Ceara and single-unit RBC increased by 28%, although not statistically significant. In Brazil, the minority of medical schools have transfusion as a discipline. The scarcity of transfusion education is related to the poorer care of the patient. Technological innovation has been used for educational changes and is an alternative to formal education. CONCLUSION: Social media is an interesting tool to provide quality to medical services, since they can reach a broader public, especially where personal contact is difficult.

Cost of hemophilia A in Brazil: a microcosting study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Hemophilia are continually monitored at treatment centers to avoid and control bleeding episodes. This study estimated the direct and indirect costs per patient with hemophilia A in Brazil and evaluated the cost variability across different age groups. METHODS: A prospective observational research was conducted with retrospective data collection of patients assisted at three referral blood centers in Brazil. Time-driven Activity-based Costing method was used to analyze direct costs, while indirect costs were estimated based on interviews with family and caregivers. Cost per patient was analyzed according to age categories, stratified into 3 groups (0-11;12-18 or older than 19 years old). The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used to confirm the differences in costs across groups. RESULTS: Data from 140 hemophilia A patients were analyzed; 53 were 0-11 years, 29 were 12-18 years, and the remaining were older than 19 years. The median cost per patient per year was R$450,831 (IQR R$219,842; R$785,149; $174,566), being possible to confirm age as a cost driver: older patients had higher costs than younger's (p = 0.001; median cost: 0-11 yrs R$299,320; 12-18 yrs R$521,936; ≥19 yrs R$718,969). CONCLUSION: This study is innovative in providing cost information for hemophilia A using a microcosting technique. The variation in costs across patient age groups can sustain more accurate health policies driven to increase access to cutting-edge technologies and reduce the burden of the disease.