Education Subgroup
Knowledge in transfusion medicine influences clinical practice and proper selection of blood components. Optimal blood component use is a balance between administering enough to maximize clinical outcomes and avoiding unnecessary transfusions that expose patients to potential infectious and noninfectious risks and increase costs.
Despite the increase of the appropriate use of blood products through the widespread adoption of patient blood management programs, a gap in the literature exists regarding transfusion education for transfusion professionals who are involved in day-to-day transfusion practice. Education of all healthcare professionals involved in the vein-to-vein transfusion practice is important, considering the complexity of the existing healthcare systems.
About the subgroup
The education subgroup of the ISBT Clinical Transfusion Working is an international group of professionals interested in providing educational resources for healthcare providers.
The subgroup’s objectives are
- To bring together healthcare professionals with interest in transfusion education and share knowledge/experience.
- To provide transfusion education resources for ISBT members including eLearning.
- To study and report on transfusion education globally.
- To identify research questions/unmet needs and promote solutions through collaboration.
Subgroup Activities
The quarterly meetings are virtual quarterly at minimum. The meetings discuss current research, social media contributions, and project ideas. We are always looking for new members and project ideas. If your practice involves transfusion education, then this subgroup is for you! You can join anytime.
Education Resources
1. The Essentials of Blood Transfusion Teaching for Nurses and Resident Doctors is a transfusion education framework that has been developed by ISBT to support clinical staff who are delivering transfusion training and education to patient-facing teams. The toolkits provide a framework to assist in their teaching plans.
2. The ISBT Transfusion Reaction E-learning Module is an initiative of the ISBT Clinical Transfusion Working Party in collaboration of the European Blood Alliance (EBA). This interactive module allows the participant to learn about different acute transfusion reactions; their recognition, investigation and treatment. The module is accredited and freely accessible through this link:
Leadership
Richard R. Gammon
Dr. Gammon holds Board Certifications in Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine as well as Clinical Pathology, and is a Medical Director for OneBlood and Transfusion Medicine Specialists in Orlando, Florida, USA. Dr. Gammon is an Assistant Professor of Pathology for the University Of Central Florida College as well as an Assistant Professor Collaborative Faculty with Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, University of South Florida. He is also chair of the AABB’s Blood Banks and Transfusion Service Standards Program Unit and chair of the Transfusion Safety/Patient Blood Management Subsection. Dr. Gammon is also a member of the ISBT CCP Work Group.
Subgroup members publications and other resources
