Academy
Second ESTM educational course in Transfusion Medicine: Cairo, Egypt (2025)
The Egyptian Society of Transfusion Medicine (ESTM), with significant support from the ISBT Academy, successfully conducted its second consecutive educational course in transfusion medicine. This course was attended by 36 registered blood bank physicians from various regions across Egypt. The organizing committee included Prof. Salwa Youssef (President, ESTM), Prof. Azza Eldanasoury (Secretary General, ESTM), and Dr. Bahy Ayoub (Member, Scientific Committee, ESTM).
The primary objective of the course was to deliver a comprehensive curriculum covering all aspects of Transfusion Medicine. The program was designed to serve as a foundational resource for junior blood bank physicians while also functioning as a refresher for experienced professionals.
Participant Demographics and Course Structure
Participants were selected based on consistent criteria to ensure a representative and equitable distribution from nearly all Egyptian governorates. The attendee group was professionally diverse, including junior blood bank physicians, students of the Egyptian Board for Transfusion Medicine, university faculty, staff from the National Blood Transfusion Service, and hospital blood bank administrators. Two participants from the previous course opted to attend the theoretical sessions again. The curriculum was delivered over a four-month period, from July to October 2025, and was structured into four distinct modules. Each module spanned four days. The first two days of each module consisted of oral presentations delivered by 23 expert professors, focusing on both the scientific and practical aspects of the subject matter. The subsequent two days were dedicated to practical sessions. To enhance engagement and interaction, the 36 delegates were divided into two groups for hands-on training at the National Blood Transfusion Center and the National Cancer Institute Blood Bank.
Pictures from the educational course
Modules and Assessment
The course modules were sequentially structured as follows: • Module 1: Donation and Apheresis • Module 2: Components and Serology • Module 3: Immunohematology • Module 4: Clinical Transfusion Medicine
We are delighted that the four modules of our ESTM Educational Course have been successfully completed and we received excellent feedback from almost all participants. The final module was unique in that it featured presentations by clinicians from various disciplines who regularly utilize blood and its components. This approach aims to facilitate a critical dialogue on clinical needs and how these can be met effectively within the constraints of existing inventories, standards, and best practices.
Course effectiveness was assessed through multiple methods. Delegates evaluated both the topics and the speakers after each module using a specialized assessment model. Oral presentations were scored on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent), while practical sessions were scored on a scale of 1 to 3 (1 = Unsatisfactory, 3 = Very Satisfactory). Written comments were also collected to gather constructive criticism. Feedback from the previous year's course led to specific modifications in the content, practical sessions, and the selection of lecturers. Additionally, a short multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam was administered after each module to evaluate knowledge acquisition.
Pictures from the educational course
Outcomes and Future Initiatives
The course received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the delegates, who expressed significant appreciation for the organization, effort, and high academic quality of the program. These courses are believed to be instrumental in improving the professional knowledge of the participants, thereby achieving the primary objective of positively impacting their work environments. The success of this initiative has provided the impetus to repeat the course for a new group of physicians next year. Additionally, an unmet need for a dedicated technical course for blood bank technologists has been identified, and there are plans to organize such a program alongside the physicians' course in the coming year.
