Final answer:
Individuals with a history of blood transfusions should be screened for antibodies against red blood cell antigens beyond ABO and Rh systems using an antibody screen test to prevent hemolytic transfusion reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Individuals with a history of blood transfusions should be screened for antibodies against red blood cell antigens outside of the ABO and Rh systems. This is important to prevent a potentially life-threatening hemolytic transfusion reaction (HTR), which can occur if the recipient's immune system attacks the transfused blood. An antibody screen test is performed to determine if such antibodies are present. During this test, patient serum is checked against type O red blood cells that express various antigens. If agglutination occurs, indicating the presence of antibodies, the specific antigen causing the reaction must be identified to ensure it is absent from the donor blood unit.
Furthermore, cross-matching is necessary to confirm compatibility between the donor and recipient blood types. In cases of emergency, where there is no time to determine the patient's blood type due to life-threatening conditions, type O blood can be transfused as it is the universal donor type. However, in planned procedures, accurate blood typing and cross-matching are crucial to avoid complications from transfusion.