Patients' recall and perceptions regarding consent to blood transfusion at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein, South Africa

We studied the recall and perceptions of transfused patients at a single centre. Fifty-three patients were included. In 11 (20.8%) cases, no written informed consent document could be traced. Four patients who had informed consent documents in their records had no recollection of the consent process. Approximately 11% of patients stated that the consent process was performed using unfamiliar terms. When compared to Caucasian and mixed race respondents, more African respondents (83%) would have preferred the presence of a family member (p < 0.01). Although not all the patients experienced the informed consent positively, it did not impact on their perception of the blood transfusion itself.