From the President

The same can be said regarding donor medicine and overall donor safety. But one key challenge is the variety of environments and settings in which we work. Indeed, dealing with different environments - medical, regulatory, economic and cultural differences - is a significant challenge when promoting best practices in transfusion medicine as in any medical field.

When considering how best ISBT can broadly provide education and training to facilitate knowledge implementation, the diversity of environments and practices internationally is an issue readily brought to the forefront.

Best practices stemming from new knowledge should be adaptable and considerate of the available local resources. Lack of resources or infrastructure may hinder the adoption of novel technologies or practices. Different countries or regions may have varying healthcare priorities based on their disease burden, population demographics, or governmental focus. Providing flexible frameworks that can be adapted will allow regions to adjust best practices based on their own environment.

Involving professionals from various horizons may ensure that the solutions are not only medically sound but also socially and economically feasible across international jurisdictions. Obviously, educational materials and communication strategies need to be adapted to the local environments. Further empowering ISBT members - local champions! - can be instrumental in gaining the trust of healthcare providers. Local regulations or standards may not be compatible with proposed improvements. In such case, working with local policymakers to build incremental changes to implementation is warranted.

Economic constraints may in fact leverage new insights on “old” practices. A good example may be the use of whole blood vs blood components. Whole blood transfusion might offer a cost-effective, logistically simpler, and clinically appropriate therapeutic option - possibly even better than components transfusion (but unproven yet) - for severe anemia, trauma, and maternal hemorrhage.

Use of pilot projects to test new practices as well as continuous monitoring (with appropriate feedback channels) can help adjust best transfusion practices to fit evolving local contexts. Cultural beliefs and practices surrounding healthcare and blood donation can influence how novel medical practices are perceived and accepted. Understanding and adjusting to such cultural norms is therefore essential. Importantly, implementing new knowledge in a given jurisdiction should not inadvertently widen health disparities. Ensuring equity, resilience and long-term sustainability of best practices in the local health care system is critical.