학술논문

Does a liberal national transfusion law assure blood safety? A survey of blood bank directors' perspectives in Lebanon.
Document Type
Article
Source
Journal of Public Health Policy. Nov2013, Vol. 34 Issue 4, p515-527. 13p.
Subject
*BLOOD transfusion
*BLOOD banks
*DONOR blood supply
*BLOOD collection
*MEDICAL care
*PUBLIC health
Language
ISSN
0197-5897
Abstract
In transfusion medicine today, 'zero risk' has become a universal objective. Thus, we investigated whether the level of blood safety as defined by Lebanese legislation is satisfactory. Our work covered the period from September 2008 to June 2012. First, we studied each chapter in law and regulations, and compared them with the latest French regulations. The standards of Good Manufacturing Practice, characteristics of blood products and their storage, and the overall organization and haemovigilance for recipients and donors are not defined. Our analysis revealed numerous problems in today's blood safety situation. There is, for example, no clear definition or identification of the different blood safety components. Then, we conducted a national survey of blood bank directors to assess their perception of blood safety in Lebanon. Our survey revealed a negative perception (52.4 per cent) of the current blood safety situation, with more than 90 per cent of respondents in favor of national regulatory improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]