The impact of improved safety on maintaining a sufficient blood supply

The impact of improved safety on maintaining a sufficient blood supply is b ecoming an increasingly real issue facing the National Blood Service in Eng land and North Wales. This paper shows the extent of the impact that safety measures can have on reducing collection levels, without making any value judgement on the safety criteria themselves, It demonstrates that underlyin g trends in collection are making it increasingly difficult to meet demand. Further potential restrictions, perhaps associated with variant Creutzfeld t-Jacob disease (vCJD), will require a reassessment of the safety-sufficien cy trade-off. The analysis strongly suggests that continual enhancement of safety criteria, for both individual donor and patient benefit, will lead t o insufficient supply to meet current levels of hospital demand. New approa ches are needed to effectively manage blood throughout the supply chain, th ereby ensuring sufficient supply. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medica les Elsevier SAS.