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Blood, Blood Products and Products of Human Origin

    Overview

    An adequate and safe blood supply is essential for a well-functioning health system and critical to patient safety. Blood and plasma-derived medicinal products play a vital role in treating various acute and chronic conditions, supporting complex medical and surgical procedures, and saving lives. These products are indispensable for managing maternal and child health, improving the quality of life of individuals with inherited disorders like hemophilia and Thalassaemia, and treating acquired conditions such as cancer or trauma. Inadequate or unsafe blood compromises the effectiveness of key health services. Therefore, universal access to safe, effective, and quality-assured blood products must be ensured. Transplantation is a life-saving medical procedure that replaces damaged or failing organs and tissues, significantly improving patient survival and quality of life.

    Patient safety and Infection Prevention and control

    Patient safety and infection prevention and control (IPC) are fundamental to achieving high-quality health care. They work hand in hand to minimize avoidable harm, reduce the incidence of health care-associated infections, and protect both patients and health workers. By embedding a culture of safety and accountability within health systems, patient safety initiatives help ensure that care is effective, timely, and centered on individual needs. IPC, as a core component of patient safety, strengthens clinical practices, enhances outcomes, and reduces the burden of prolonged hospital stays and treatment costs caused by preventable infections. 

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    Publications

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    publication banner for Emerging from the Unknowing: WHO India’s strategic response to the pandemic report

    Emerging from the Unknowing chronicles WHO India's vital technical and field support to the Government of India during the COVID-19 response—an extraordinary...

    Compendium of best practices and case studies in quality of care, patient safety, infection prevention and control in lower- and middle-income countries

    Best practices refer to established methods, techniques or approaches that have consistently demonstrated sustainable results or outcomes in a particular...

    Voluntary non-remunerated blood donations to ensure blood safety in the WHO South-East Asia Region to support universal health coverage

    Access to safe blood and blood products is recognized as one of the key requirements for delivery of modern health care in the journey towards health for...

    Regional desk review of haemoglobinopathies with an emphasis on thalassaemia and accessibility and availability of safe blood and blood products as per these patients’ requirement in South-East Asia under universal health coverage

    Disorders of haemoglobin are one of the most common monogenic disorders prevalent across the world. While sickle cell disorders are more prevalent worldwide,...

    Promoting cleaner, safer health facilities in SEAR: Informal experts consultation on improving quality and safety

    Poor quality care remains common, especially in developing countries—and extracts a heavy toll. Progress towards universal health coverage (UHC)...

    Community-based health services: a vital part of Universal Health Coverage

    Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is an important part of the Sustainable Development Goals. One vital aspect of UHC is the services which are available...

    Blood Transfusion Services in South-East Asia Region

    Through its Blood and Transfusion Safety programme, WHO supports countries in strengthening national blood systems to ensure timely access to safe and...

    Use of cell culture in virology for developing countries in the South-East Asia Region

    It has been over six decades since the discovery by Enders and his co-workers that polioviruses could replicate in cell cultures of non-neural origin....

    Guidelines for the management of snakebites, 2nd edition

    Snakebites are well-known medical emergencies in many parts of the world, especially in rural areas. Agricultural workers and children are the most affected....

    Regional strategy for patient safety in the WHO South-East Asia Region (2016–2025)

    The quality and safety aspect of health care is of utmost importance in health service delivery. Health services that are provided should be of very high...

    HQ Publications

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    Guidance on implementation of a quality system in blood establishments

    This document provides guidance on the activities needed to implement a functioning quality system in the BE, withinformation on the technical resources...

    Guidance on ensuring a sufficient supply of safe blood and blood components during emergencies

    This guidance document has been produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist blood services in the development of national plans to respond...

    User guide for navigating resources on stepwise implementation of haemovigilance systems

    WHO recognizes the importance of haemovigilance, systematic blood safety surveillance, to identify and prevent occurrence or recurrence of transfusion-related...

    Educational modules on clinical use of blood

    Blood transfusion is an essential part of patient care. When used correctly, it saves lives and improves health. However, blood transfusion carries a...

    The urgent need to implement patient blood management: policy brief

    In the past four decades, increased awareness of the inherent risks of transfusion has resulted in major initiatives to mitigate those risks through...

    Action framework to advance universal access to safe, effective and quality-assured blood products 2020–2023

    In response to calls for action, WHO has provided guidelines, physical standards, training and technical support to improve blood product quality, safety...

    A guide to establishing a national haemovigilance system

    The goal of haemovigilance is continuous quality improvement of the transfusion chain through corrective and preventive actions to improve donor and patient safety,...

    Establishing external quality assessment programmes for screening of donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections: implementation guide

    Establishing external quality assessment programmes for screening of donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections: implementation guide aims...

    Blood donor selection: guidelines on assessing donor suitability for blood donation

    Blood transfusion services (BTS) have the responsibility to collect blood only from donors who are at low risk for any infection that could be transmitted...

    Screening donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections : recommendations

    This document is designed primarily to support the strengthening and improvement of blood screening programmes in countries where systems are not yet...