On November 4, to commemorate Patient Blood Management (PBM) Awareness Week (3-7 November), the Parliament Magazine published the article Blood Health Matters: Urging EU Policy Action on PBM Implementation, which calls on policymakers to devote greater attention to blood health and PBM at all levels.

In the article, Prof Axel Hofmann, Dr Androulla Eleftheriou, and Prof Daniela Filipescu, participants in the Blood and Beyond initiative, call on EU and national policymakers to recognise the importance of blood health and advance it through PBM implementation.

The article notes that blood health is currently underprioritized in the EU and national policy agendas. To improve blood health, the authors emphasize that PBM is a proven, cost-effective, and patient-centred solution that improves patient outcomes, reduces wasteful spending, empowers citizens, and strengthens the efficiency and resilience of healthcare systems.

The article highlights that the World Health Organization (WHO) supports PBM and has recently provided guidance for its implementation. Building on the WHO guidance and given the current policy landscape, the authors recall the Blood and Beyond’s Five-Point Plan to policymakers to advance good blood health and PBM implementation.

You can read the publication here.