EUROPEAN MEDICAL EDUCATION TO BLOOD SPARING: AN URGENT NEED TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF PATIENTS' CARE

Abstract

Scientific aspects of Transfusion Medicine are often reported. Professional “transfer” of scientific knowledge, however, isn’t reaching all concerned specialists yet. In most European countries, little undergraduate education in Transfusion Medicine is given, few training curricula exist for specialisation in Transfusion Medicine, and in other medical specialities. The prevalent attitude of most clinicians is still an “expecting” one. It is however becoming accepted that clinical medicine, in order to provide patients with the safest possible blood, has more to give than to receive. ESTM activities are largely oriented towards the contribution of clinical medicine to blood safety. Out of 80 ESTM courses performed so far, 40 were dedicated to clinical transfusion practice! A “Cooperation Agreement” as “partner organisation” was signed in 2006 with New European Surgical Academy (NESA). The need for better understanding between clinical and transfusion specialists became evident after the analysis performed in 2002 at the ESTM meeting in Lecce and the conclusions of the 2003 course in Belgrade on “The contribution of clinical medicine to blood safety”. A previous course in 2002 in Lviv on “Blood-sparing medicine and surgery: the absolute need of safe autologous and homologous blood donation” focused on blood-sparing procedures, also discussed in Riga in 2004. Similar problems of reciprocal support had been dealt with in 2002 in Sofia at the course on “Basic clinical and organisational requirements for implementing an effective haemovigilance”, and increasingly debated during other ESTM courses (2002 Portoroz, 2003 Piacenza and Napoli, 2004 Barcelona). Adequate knowledge on clinical transfusion practice by all medical specialists is an absolute target. Education in quality management is a proper common way to overcome national differences in transfusion safety. Time has come to stimulate proper attention for all what concerns the clinical side of Transfusion Medicine, and particularly blood sparing. Pressure by Scientific Societies of relevant clinical disciplines could be of considerable help. A passionate appeal from any clinical Scientific Society to all other Societies, to collect specific information on postgraduate specialisations, could allow acquisition of knowledge on already existing situations, for further discussion on how to attain a better quality of patients’ care.