Patient blood management: A solution for South Africa

Patient blood management: A solution for South Africa

For more than 70 years the default therapy for anaemia and blood loss was mostly transfusion. Accumulating evidence demonstrates a significant dose-dependent relationship between transfusion and adverse outcomes. This and other transfusion-related challenges led the way to a new paradigm. Patient blood management (PBM) is the application of evidence-based practices to optimise patient outcomes by managing and preserving the patient's own blood. 'Real-world' studies have shown that PBM improves patient outcomes and saves money. The prevalence of anaemia in adult South Africans is 31% in females and 17% in males. Improving the management of anaemia will firstly improve public health, secondly relieve the pressure on the blood supply, and thirdly improve the productivity of the nation's workforce. While high-income countries are increasingly implementing PBM, many middle- and low-income countries are still trying to upscale their transfusion services. The implementation of PBM will improve South Africa's health status while saving costs.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Thomson,J, Hofmann,A, Barrett,C A, Beeton,A, Bellairs,G R M, Boretti,L, Coetzee,M J, Farmer,S, Gibbs,M W, Gombotz,H H, Hilton,C, Kassianides,C, Louw,V J, Lundgren,C, Mahlangu,J N, Noel,C B, Rambiritch,V, Schneider,F, Verburgh,E, Wessels,P-L, Wessels,P, Wise,R, Shander,A
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: South African Medical Association 2019
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-95742019000700010
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Summary:For more than 70 years the default therapy for anaemia and blood loss was mostly transfusion. Accumulating evidence demonstrates a significant dose-dependent relationship between transfusion and adverse outcomes. This and other transfusion-related challenges led the way to a new paradigm. Patient blood management (PBM) is the application of evidence-based practices to optimise patient outcomes by managing and preserving the patient's own blood. 'Real-world' studies have shown that PBM improves patient outcomes and saves money. The prevalence of anaemia in adult South Africans is 31% in females and 17% in males. Improving the management of anaemia will firstly improve public health, secondly relieve the pressure on the blood supply, and thirdly improve the productivity of the nation's workforce. While high-income countries are increasingly implementing PBM, many middle- and low-income countries are still trying to upscale their transfusion services. The implementation of PBM will improve South Africa's health status while saving costs.

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