Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Apply basic blood bank knowledge to make appropriate and effective clinical decisions.

2. Explain and interpret ABO and Rh blood typing procedures.

3. Recognize normal and abnormal test results and correlate the data with appropriate pathologic conditions to accurately advise health care providers.

4. Evaluate and adapt immunohematology laboratory techniques and procedures when discrepancies or errors are encountered.

5. Articulate the significance of blood groups outside of ABO and Rh.

6. Distinguish between direct and indirect antiglobulin procedures.

7. Explain and interpret direct antiglobulin testing procedures.

This online course is delivered through lecture/discussion, audio-visual presentations, handouts, web-based instructional media, and other educationally sound practices. Hands-on laboratory content will be learned through on-the-job training, with classroom instruction focusing on the theoretical background necessary to perform laboratory tasks. There is no laboratory component in this course.

Assessment methods may include written examinations, homework assignments, quizzes, and discussion activities. Evaluation will focus on students’ understanding of theoretical knowledge, problem-solving skills, communication, and comprehension of clinical laboratory protocols, safety regulations, and quality assurance measures. Practical lab skills will be assessed during on-the-job training, rather than in the classroom.

• Course Themes:

Basic Immunology

• Mechanisms of protection against disease including acquired immunity

• Components and function of haptens and complete antigens

• Cellular and humoral immunity and the roles of tissues and related cells that may be involved in immune responses

• Differentiating and identifying the various types of hypersensitivities and immunodeficiencies

• The inflammatory process including cells and chemical mediators

• Classification of immunoglobulins and properties and characteristics related to: type of L and H chain, subclasses, size and number of structural units, complement activation, placental transfer, seromucous secretion, primary function and relative concentration in serum

• Differentiating primary and secondary (anamnestic) responses and antibody class(es) involved

• The complement system

Principles of Laboratory Testing

• Agglutination reactions, their stages, and the factors affecting each stage

• Problems that may be encountered such as: dosage effect, prozone phenomenon, and blocking antibodies

• Reagents commonly employed in ABO and Rh testing procedures

• Methodologies, interpretation, and sources of error for ABO forward and reverse typing, and Rh and weak D typing

• AHG: principles, uses, and sources of error

ABO and Rh Blood Group Systems

• Inheritance of the ABO blood group system and related genotypes and phenotypes of the four major groups

• The Secretor and H systems and their relationship to ABO antigens

• The Bombay O type and expected ABO typing results

• The Fisher-Race, Wiener, and current theories of inheritance

• The weak D genotype and phenotype

• Recognizing and resolving problems encountered in routine ABO and Rh typing including the subgroups of A

Blood Groups

• Clinically significant non-ABO blood groups: their inheritance, genotypes, phenotypes, and antibody production and identification

• Differentiating low-incident and high-incident antigens and their relation to antibody

• frequency when selecting blood for transfusion

Antihuman Globulin

• Indirect versus Direct antiglobulin methods

• Antibody screening for clinically significant non-ABO blood group antibodies

Course Skills:

Cognitive Skills:

1. Explain immunohematology theory supporting test principles

2. Integrate knowledge and make informed judgments about immunohematology test results

Performance and Professional Skills:

1. Demonstrate initiative, adaptability, and professionalism through classroom participation and discussions.

2. Engage with course materials independently, showing motivation and commitment to learning.

Safety Awareness Skills:

1. Recognize laboratory safety equipment and proper usage.

2. Understand the importance of safety measures in preventing accidents and exposure to pathogens.