Pre-operative anaemia
Supporting healthcare professionals to identify and manage pre-operative anaemia
Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) relaunch for 2022/23
CCG6 Anaemia screening and treatment for all patients undergoing major elective surgery: guidance and indicator specifications.
The guidance from the regulatory bodies
Addressing preoperative anaemia (CPOC)
British Society of Haematology (BSH)
BSH Good Practice Paper (GPP) Preoperative patient blood management during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic
Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) Report 2021: Anaesthesia and perioperative Medicine
International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)
Modern iron replacement therapy: clinical and pathophysiological insights
(International Journal of Haematology)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality statements
NICE Perioperative care in adults Quality Improvement Programme (PQIP)
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) guidelines for management of iron deficiency in adults
The toolkits
NHSBT Patient Blood Management
Quality improvement for surgical teams
A beginner’s guide to commissioning
The urgent need to implement patient blood management: policy brief (PDF 2238KB)
The information for patients
Quality improvement
How patient-level costing (PLICS) can support quality improvement - 60 minute webinar
Health promotion infographics
For patients and general public, highlighting some at risk groups and encouraging conversations with healthcare professionals.
- YouTube video
- Or download below
Iron tablets - how do you take yours? (PDF 192KB)
Take with a source of vitamin C, Once daily or alternate day dosing, Avoid tea/coffee before and after taking, Can help reduce side effects and increase absorption. Discuss your iron supplementation with your healthcare professional.
Images of an orange slice, a bottle of iron tablets, a cup of tea
How much iron is in your diet? (PDF 219KB)?
Iron is important to help your body make red blood cells and turn oxygen into energy. Chicken: 0.7mg per 100g Prawns: 1.1mg per 100g Salmon: 0.4mg per 100g Spinach: 1.6mg per 100g Steak: 3.6mg per 100g Broccoli: 1mg per 100g
Discuss your iron intake with your healthcare professional.
Images of Chicken, Prawns, Salmon, Spinach, Steak, Broccoli.
How are you feeling? (PDF 211KB)
Did you know, as a female, you are more at risk of becoming anaemic?
Menstruation, Pregnancy, Post delivery and breastfeeding, Menopause.
Feeling tired, lethargic, low energy and mood, increased breathlessness or fatigue on exertion? Talk to your healthcare professional or midwife.
4 images of women
Chronic disease diagnosis? How are you feeling? (PDF 203KB)
Chronic illness can increase your risk of becoming anaemic. Chronic kidney disease, Inflammatory bowel disease, Heart failure.
Feeling tired, lethargic, low energy and mood, increased breathlessness or fatigue on exertion? Talk to your healthcare professional.
Images of Kidneys, large bowel and heart.
Anaemia, it’s more than just feeling tired... (PDF 192KB)
Days off sick, Low mood or poor mental health, Feeling unable to socialise or do the things you enjoy, Feeling unable to exercise or keep active.
Images depicting tiredness, low mood and lethargy.
Healthy you, healthy baby (PDF 216KB)
Anaemia affects on average 24% of pregnancies and can cause more than just tiredness for you and baby. It can impact baby’s development, It can slow recovery post-delivery, It can increase the risk of requiring a blood transfusion.
Feeling tired, lethargic, low energy and mood, increased breathlessness or fatigue on exertion? Talk to your healthcare professional or midwife.
Images of an unborn baby, mother and baby, unit of blood.
The research
A pre-operative anaemia service to avoid unnecessary blood transfusions
Alternate day oral iron dosing in iron deficiency anaemia
Current concepts in the evaluation and management of preoperative anaemia
International consensus statement on the peri-operative management of anaemia and iron deficiency
Iron deficiency without anaemia: A diagnosis that matters
NICE clinical knowledge summary, anaemia - B12 and folate deficiency
NICE clinical knowledge summary, anaemia - iron deficiency (revised November 2021)
PREVENTT trial: full report (PDF 405KB) and summary (PDF 757KB)
Improving patient outcomes
Early identification and management of anaemia pre-operatively improves patient outcomes.
Up to 75%
The estimated percentage of pre-op patients who may be anaemic.
Share your learning
Tell us about your pre-operative anaemia projects, highlighting your successes or where things didn't go so well and we'll include them on this page - PBM.Team@nhsbt.nhs.uk
Shared learning
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
- An example of a business case (PDF 155 KB)
Network for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management, Hemostatis and Thrombosis (NATA)
- Preoperative anaemia clinic: the patient's perspective
Supporting the implementation of pre-surgical optimisation of iron deficiency anaemia
Watch on YouTube