title: Global health and transfusion medicine: education and training in developing countries.
abstract: Education and training in transfusion medicine have improved over the past decade in developing countries but are still generally deficient for the purpose of maintaining the safety of the global blood supply. In 2009, the World Health Organization global database on blood safety indicated that only 72% of countries in the world were able to meet their training needs necessary for maintaining the safety of their local blood supply. Educational approaches in transfusion medicine vary widely between continents and world regions. In this article, we summarize a session on global health education and training in developing countries that took place at the 2012 AABB conference. The panel consisted of transfusion representatives from South America (Brazil), Asia (China), Africa (South Africa), and the Caribbean (Curaçao), as well as a description of capacitation issues in postearthquake Haiti and the pivotal role of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in transfusion training and education in Africa. We present here summaries of each of these panel presentations.
authors.affiliation: Transfusion Medicine Division, Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Eichbaum
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Thelma T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Goncalez
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Duits
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andrews
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D001938:Brazil; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003906:Developing Countries; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014943:Global Health / Q000193:education / Q000639:trends; D006205:Haiti; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D013020:South America; D064826:Transfusion Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014944:World Health Organization