From the Chief Executive
Welcome to Blood Service in Brief October!
In recent years the detection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has increased in developed countries, and higher-than-expected infection rates have been found in blood donors around the world. This edition you can read about the HEV prevalence study recently conducted by the Blood Service to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep Australia’s blood supply safe.
We’re constantly looking at how we can best meet the needs of our customers – read on to learn about the success of new tools we’ve introduced to improve the supply of phenotyped red cells.
We’ve also designed an information pack to help you get ready for the ISBT 128 labelling change in your facility, and if you work in a lab, we’d love you to participate in our transfusion education survey to help determine transfusion-related education and training requirements.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Blood Service in Brief.
Kind regards,
Shelly Park
Chief Executive
Link to stories below
Hepatitis E Virus RNA in Australian blood donors
Phenotyped red cell order fulfilment improved by efficient processes