Blood and blood products

Since June 1999 ÖBIG, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, has conducted a study on supply with blood in Austria. The aim of this project is to establish the best possible supply structure for blood and blood products, at sufficient levels of quality and quantity and a minimum reject rate.

At the first project stage the distribution structures for banked blood, logistics, storage strategies and staff situation as well as equipment available in all Austrian blood banks were investigated. From this information, minimum requirements for blood banks were derived. 2001 eventually saw a revision of the standards for blood group serology and transfusion medicine.

In recent years our project work has focused on establishing a haemovigilance system for Austria. From 1 January 2003 to 30 June 2008, GÖG/ÖBIG was in charge of the Haemovigilance Registry and thus functioned as an interface handling reports of serious adverse events and reactions in the entire transfusion chain from donation to testing, processing and distribution and eventually administration to a recipient. GÖG/ÖBIG still conducts annual investigations of the blood use in Austria’s hospitals.

Contact: Kornelia Kozyga