WHO/HQ Blood Transfusion Safety Team (WHO/BTS) convened a two-day Global Forum at Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 14-15 March 2011 to highlight the importance of patient blood management (PBM) and patient health and safety in the health-care system and to consider barriers to its implementation and factors causing variability in different countries. The meeting was organized in collaboration with the Sharjah Blood Transfusion and Research Centre, and cosponsored by the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
Lessons learnt and strategies to address major challenges to managing blood use for quality patient care, faced by both developed and developing countries, were discussed. The forum brought together representatives from developed and developing countries, members of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Transfusion Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centres, international organizations and WHO professional staff from headquarters and six WHO regional offices.
Meeting outputs: