Abstract

SANCHEZ FRENES, Pedro. Blood availability for transfusions. Review and practical considerations. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2022, vol.38, n.1  Epub Apr 15, 2022. ISSN 1561-2996.

The blood availability (BA) constitutes an essential element for universal access to transfusions and a priority for local health systems. It is a term widely used in the scientific-technical literature, however, not very well characterized. This article offers a theoretical approach to BA, its components and determining factors; as well as, some practical aspects of its management within the health services are offered. BA is a quality referred to the amount of blood units that are ready to be used in patients who require it at a given time and for a defined geographic area, its main components are the supply and demand for blood. In the transfusion chain, various activities closely linked to each other and to the external environment are planned, executed and controlled; which gives a multidimensional character to the BA and a peculiar dynamism to the activities of donations, processing and blood transfusions. Knowing the dependency relationships that are established between the parts of this logistics chain is an essential element for the efficient management of blood programs.

Keywords : management of blood banks; blood availability; transfusion chain.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )