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Ethics in Blood Transfusion

Definitions Duty of Donor

What is right/ good Blood donation
Human duty/ logic of moral discourse Do no harm to donor’s health
Examine troubling dilemmas No risk to health of recipient
Ethics is a dynamic process Responsibilities
Voluntary/ No financial incentive
Making decisions Made to understand – social obligations
First do no harm Safety of blood supply – depend on retention of regular donors
Respect/ Autonomy (patient’s) – wishes, dignity, privacy Obligations to donors
Justice – treat cases alike, fairly distribute benefits, burdens Trained BTS staff in contact
Principled approach to medical ethics No pressure/ discrimination
Assure/ educate donors – blood is handled, distributed with care
Goal of medicine BTS use updated, authorized, detailed criteria for selection, deferral, exclusion
Heal, cure • Explained/ understood
Comfort, palliate • Informed consent
Preserve, promote health • Donor information - confidential
• Confidential matters – conveyed in private
Basic medico-ethical principles Anonymous – donor, recipient
Autonomy – dignity, integrity of human beings Plasmapheresis – handled by specifically trained personnel/ nurses
No wastage – clinician prescribing the blood
Beneficen ce
Justice, equality
Duty of Physician
Indications
Medico-ethi cal guidelines / Code in Transfusion medicine
Most effective therapy with maximum safety
International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)
Transfusion practices review committee
(Code of ethics for blood d onation, transfusion)
Code adopted by WHO Prescription procedure/ blood transfu sion guideline
(prevent errors in requesting, supplying, administrating blood)
Active participants in transfusion medicine
Duty of Recipient
Informed consent – explained/ understood
• capacity to understand
• adequate information
• obtained without coercion
Verify/ Identify – each blood unit pretransfusion
Investigate – reactions/ complications
Prescribed only with genuine therapeutic indication
No financial incentive

Guides in implementing basic princi ples

Goals for BTS (Blood Transfusion Services)
Acceptable mission of a BTS
Meet perceived needs of patient
Minimum cost
Minimum wastage
Maximum safety, effica cy
Ethical approach
Donors
Physicians
Recipients

Blood Transfusi on Form