ISBT Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics is available in 8 languages
The ISBT code of ethics was first developed in 1980 in response to the World Health Assembly resolution WHA 28.72 calling for establishment of national blood servies, voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD) and promotion of the health of donors and recipients. The code is periodically reviewed and revised, most recently by Peter Flanagan (Chair of the ISBT Standing Committee on Ethics).
The current version was accepted by the ISBT membership on June 20, 2017 during the General Assembly at the 27th congress of the ISBT in Copenhagen.
Watch the webinar Code of Ethics
Follow this link to visit ISBT Education and watch the webinar of Peter Flanagan, where he provides an overview of the revised and updated Code of Ethics.
Please click on your preferred language to download the Code of Ethics.
Peter Flanagan
Peter currently works as a Transfusion Medicine Specialist with New Zealand Blood Service based in Wellington having previously been the National Medical Director of NZBS for over 20 years. He has been closely involved with ISBT as a Board member from 2006, and subsequently President between 2012 and 2014. He chaired the Standing Committee on Ethics from 2016 until 2022 and played a key role in the development of the updated ISBT Code of Ethics. He has been the President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT), is a member of the WHO Expert Panel on Blood Transfusion and has also been closely involved with transfusion activities with the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) and Council of Europe for 20 years.
