Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Role of the Blood Establishment and Hospital Transfusion Service in the Management

Disasters and emergencies do happen all over the world, both natural and human-made. It is important to carry out a gap analysis and a risk assessment before making plans for disaster and emergency preparedness at national, regional, and local levels. It is equally important to decide in advance what to do and how to react to such situation to restore the "business as usual." The blood system is an integral part of the health-care system and should be ready to act when necessary - donor mobilization, triage, personnel, stock management, and distribution. In the hospital, one should have a plan and be prepared in advance to introduce priority setting, stock management, restricted transfusion practice, and communication. The article provides a list of recommendations to prepare for such expected and unexpected situation to mitigate as much as possible the deleterious consequences.