Guidelines for the Organization of a Blood Transfusion Service Book

A comprehensive guide to the principles and procedures involved in establishing or reorganizing a national blood transfusion service in developing countries.

Focused on organizational principles rather than technical details, the book responds to both the growing clinical need for safe and effective blood products and the many problems inherent in the organization of a transfusion service. Guidelines and advice draw upon several clear examples of successes and failures taken from international experiences in the difficult process of establishing a new transfusion service. Cost-saving options are presented together with clear indications of areas where expense is inevitable and no short cuts are possible.

The book has nine chapters. The first introduces the main functions, responsibilities and organizational options of a national transfusion service. Subsequent chapters outline the guiding principles for planning a donor recruitment program and discuss the procedures to be followed during blood collection. Of particular value is a chapter devoted to the screening of blood for hepatitis, AIDS, syphilis and yaws, malaria, Chagas disease, cytomegalovirus and other transmissible diseases. Other chapters outline the organizational procedures that should guide the production of laboratory reagents at the national or regional level, the selection of methods for blood-grouping and compatibility testing, and the acquisition of basic equipment and consumables, moving from refrigerators and centrifuges to pipettes and marking pens. The book concludes with guidelines for quality assurance and biosafety.