Rhetorical Analysis

 The three academic articles delve into transfusion medicine with a focus on the pediatrics sector. As the years have passed, increasing knowledge of both adulthood and childhood made the authors realize that children are known to have distinct diseases, and even different organic profiles therefore hemovigilance sparked the interest of these authors. In transfusion medicine, emerging evidence has continued to show them that the principles once applied universally cannot be extrapolated to children by simply adjusting results for adults. In the study titled Pediatric Hemovigilance and Adverse Transfusion Reactions, Authors Nataliya Sostin MD, MCR and Jeanne E. Hendrickson MD summarized various medical statistics and explored hemovigilance.

 The author stated that  “The word hemovigilance means a set of surveillance procedures covering the whole transfusion chain intended to collect and assess information on unexpected or undesirable effects resulting from the therapeutic use of labile blood products, and to prevent their occurrence or recurrence.” (pages 153-171) Article two titled Pediatric Hemovigilance and Adverse Transfusion Reactions, by Nataliya Sostin MD, MCR et al stated that “Some types of transfusion reactions occur more frequently in the pediatric sector than the adult population. Allergic reactions are the most common, followed by nonhemolytic transfusion reactions; male children seem most susceptible to such reactions.” ( Pages 51-67 )This solidifies the premise by which these researchers decided hemovigilance is a noteworthy topic for medical enthusiasts. These six reputable authors of the three articles referenced informed the audience of all the points above coherently using formal diction and a formal academic tone since the data was mainly scientific. The topical organizational patterns across all articles consisted of main headings and had subtopics of the primary heading aimed to guide readers by expounding on topics sequentially.

The assessment of the intended audience of the writers is an important criterion in finding out the writer’s purpose. The authors of all articles made it clear that their targeted audience was an academic audience consisting of persons with children or pediatric professionals who deal with transfusions. The simplified language even when reporting and summarizing the scientific data shows the writer intends to reach persons of all backgrounds. This was conveyed multiple times in all three articles and the statement “Although some reactions (particularly allergic) are more common in the pediatric population, transfusion reactions have been better studied in adults.” (Article 2, pages 153-171) This shows that the authors’ purpose is to inform readers about ways transfusion reactions cause negative effects in children and that this group is particularly understudied.

The perspective the author tried to instill in readers for the articles are also an important criterion in assessing the writer’s purpose and tone. In the study titled Pediatric Hemovigilance and Adverse Transfusion Reactions, Authors Nataliya Sostin MD, MCR and Jeanne E. Hendrickson MD(2021) explored hemovigilance. “There is a need to better understand the pathophysiology of transfusion reactions in pediatric populations so preventive strategies can be undertaken. There is also a need for robust hemovigilance systems.” (Pages 51-67) This direct quote from the article above shows that there is was intent to persuade the audience as well about the need for systems to protect children based on the correlation of the data they presented between children and adults. The other two articles in contrast, suggested alternative ways to reduce infection or reactions especially for pediatric use by using Whole Blood and platelets.

The authors used a topical organizational strategy to make sure the information presented was in a format where each point had an introduction followed by the relevant statistics so readers could understand and analyze the points being made for themselves. The summarization at the end of each sub-topic heading beneath the main heading showed that authors tried to close each point before continuing to the next so readers could understand clearly.

The means usually readers know how an experiment is affected by external factors outside of the researcher’s control. Sentences were clear and concise and experimental data was represented using Tables and graphs when looking at the differences between the different transfusion reactions experienced by children. Paragraphs were 3 to 4 sentences long in all articles and were organized in subsections such as Introduction and conclusion to allow readers to coherently analyze and interpret while reading. The first article was to shortest of the three articles and used mostly Tables to show transfusion medicine outcomes in children as well as the medications administered. Article 2 contained graphs but no Tables and also allowed readers coherent comprehension. Summaries were used in all to wrap up and give readers the main idea.

When the reader can understand and absorb the knowledge presented in a lab report, the report is successful in its effectiveness and purpose. Lab reports that manage to establish their content into clear sentences end up being more credible.

References:

Nataliya Sostin MD, MCR and Jeanne E. Hendrickson MD (2021),  Pediatric Hemovigilance and Adverse Transfusion Reactions,    Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 2021-03-01, Volume 41, Issue 1, Pages 51-67,

Brie A. Stotler, MD, MPH, Sarah R. Vossoughi, MD, RN (2021) The Development of the Nascent Field of Pediatric Transfusion Medicine, Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 2021-03-01, Volume 41, Issue 1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cll.2020.12.001

Shannon C. Walker MD and Jennifer Andrews MD, MSc (2021) Novel Blood Component Therapies in the Pediatric Setting, Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 2021-03-01, Volume 41, Issue 1, Pages 153-171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cll.2020.12.001