title: Ethical issues in transfusion medicine.
abstract: The practice of transfusion medicine involves a number of ethical issues because blood comes from human beings and is a precious resource with a limited shelf life. In 1980 the International Society of Blood Transfusion endorsed its first formal code of ethics, which was adopted by the World Health Organisation and the League of Red Crescent Societies. A revised code of ethics for donation and transfusion was endorsed in 2000. Blood donation as a gift, donor confidentiality, donor notification and donor consent, consent for transfusion, the right to refuse blood transfusion, the right to be informed if harmed, and ethical principles for establishments, are discussed in the international and Indian contexts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Transfusion Medicine, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rai Barielly Road, Lucknow 226 014, India
authors.forename: Priti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elhence
mesh_terms: D001771:Blood Banks / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000941:ethics*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards*; D032781:Codes of Ethics; D003219:Confidentiality; D030881:Disclosure; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000941:ethics; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D037921:Gift Giving; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007258:Informed Consent; D038622:Internationality; D019300:Medical Errors; D011786:Quality Control; D012955:Societies, Medical; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000941:ethics