GAfPA Convenes Advocates for Blood Health 

WHO Guidance on Patient Blood Management 

As noted in the new WHO guidance, PBM is a patient-centered approach to preserving and managing an individual’s own blood at all stages of care. It emphasizes proactive care: diagnosing and treating anemia early, minimizing blood loss during medical procedures, and reducing reliance on transfusions whenever possible. When implemented systemically, PBM has the potential to improve health outcomes for hundreds of millions of patients while saving billions in healthcare costs. 

Through implementing PBM, health systems can reduce health complications and comorbidities, while reducing hospital stays and easing pressure on overburdened healthcare providers.  Society also benefits with reduction in disability and increases in workforce productivity and population health. For national policymakers, PBM offers a unique opportunity to improve care quality while promoting cost-effective, ethical healthcare delivery.  

Advocacy for Blood Health 

The GAfPA online advocacy briefing convened stakeholders from the U.S. and Europe, representing a broad spectrum of chronic conditions affected by blood health. Participants included advocates and experts in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory conditions, as well as women’s health, patient safety, and healthcare professionals. 

Participants heard from Prof. Dr. Axel Hofmann, Chair of the WHO’s External Steering Committee for the Implementation of PBM, who underscored the value of managing blood as a vital organ. “Blood is not only your organ, it’s a multitasking organ,” Dr. Hofmann explains. “It is your body’s most comprehensive, accessible, and dynamic health database.”  

The briefing also highlighted the need for advocacy to raise awareness about the benefits of prioritizing blood health and the implementation of PBM. “The benefits to patients are quite clear, but there are broader implications as well,” GAfPA‘s Executive Director Brian Kennedy emphasized when calling on the advocacy community to engage on issues impacting blood health. 

To learn more, watch the briefing and read GAfPA’s Fast Facts: Chronic Disease, Anemia & Blood Health.