Premium
A national level estimation of population need for blood in India
Author(s) -
Mammen Joy John,
Asirvatham Edwin Sam,
Lakshmanan Jeyaseelan,
Sarman Charishma Jones,
Mani Thenmozhi,
Charles Bimal,
Upadhyaya Sunita,
Rajan Shobini
Publication year - 2021
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.16369
Subject(s) - medicine , population , blood transfusion , health care , incidence (geometry) , transfusion medicine , environmental health , emergency medicine , medical emergency , surgery , physics , optics , economics , economic growth
Background The population need for blood is the total volume required to transfuse all the individuals who need transfusion in a defined population over a defined period. The clinical demand will arise when people with a disease or condition who require transfusion, access healthcare services, and subsequently the clinicians request blood. Essentially, the conversion of need to demand must be maximum to avoid preventable mortality and morbidity. The study estimated the population need for blood in India. Methods The methodology included a comprehensive literature review to determine the diseases and conditions requiring transfusion, the population at risk, and prevalence or incidence; and Delphi method to estimate the percentage of people requiring transfusion, and the quantum. Results The estimated annual population need was 26.2 million units (95% CI; 17.9–38.0) of whole blood to address the need for red cells and other components after the separation process. The need for medical conditions was 11.0 million units (95% CI:8.7–14.7), followed by surgery 6.6 million (95% CI:3.8–10.0), pediatrics 5.0 million (95% CI:3.5–7.0), and obstetrics and gynecology 3.6 million units (95% CI:1.9–6.2). The gap between need and demand which depends upon the access and efficiency of healthcare service provision was estimated at 13 million units. Conclusion The study brings evidence to highlight the gap between need and demand and the importance of addressing it. It cannot be just the responsibility of blood transfusion or health systems, it requires a multi‐sectoral approach to address the barriers affecting the conversion of need to clinical demand for blood.