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Blood safety and availability: continuing challenges in C hina's blood banking system
Author(s) -
Shi Ling,
Wang JingXing,
Stevens Lori,
Ness Paul,
Shan Hua
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.12273
Subject(s) - syphilis , medicine , blood supply , population , intensive care medicine , business , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , environmental health , immunology , surgery
Social and economic development, along with increased health care coverage, has caused a sharp increase in the clinical demand for blood in C hina. Whole blood collection has increased rapidly in the past decade but has failed to keep pace with the ever‐increasing demand. Overall, the country's blood safety has been improved with 99% of whole blood donations collected from voluntary unpaid donors. However, the unmet clinical demand for blood and the increasing incidence of human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis in the general population pose new challenges to C hina's blood banking system. To ensure a safe and adequate blood supply, continued efforts are required to recruit and retain a sufficient number of low‐risk voluntary blood donors, improve donor prescreening and blood testing process, ease donor restrictions, and strengthen patient blood management.