Blood transfusion constitutes the cornerstone of the clinical management of patients with thalassaemia, and the effectiveness of blood transfusion therapy relies on the availability of adequate and safe blood. The DOMAINE project, in collaboration with the European Union’s Public Health Executive Agency (PHEA) is a 3-year programme aimed at establishing safe and sufficient blood supply for all European citizens through good donor management practices in all member states. A first meeting was held in the Netherlands on 3–5 March 2008. TIF is represented on the project advisory board.
The project has three phases:
Phase 1: Completion of a survey to analyse donor management practices in participating countries.
Phase 2: Production of a manual with recommendations for good donor management practices.
Phase 3: Testing of the manual and training of blood establishment professionals on its use.
The main outcome of this project will be the Donor Management Manual, with recommendations for good practice regarding donor recruitment and retention strategies, deferral procedures and donor management in relation to patients requiring long-term transfusion therapy. The Manual will serve as a toolkit to facilitate the implementation of good donor management across Europe.
For more information visit the project website at www.domaine-europe.eu