Patient Blood Management (PBM) Awareness Week runs from 3-7 November 2025, to focus attention on blood health. But what is PBM? Why does blood health matter? And what can be done about it?
Blood health refers to the optimal function of individual blood elements and their interactions with all other organs and systems1. However, globally, blood is the most neglected organ system, although no person can survive without it functioning properly. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that good blood health is an ethical and societal imperative, as it is central to overall human well-being2.
In Europe, blood health is unequally tackled and sometimes overlooked. It is time that more visibility is given to blood health, a critical yet underrecognized aspect of healthcare. Blood and Beyond calls European and national policymakers to recognize the importance of blood health and advance it through PBM implementation.
Blood and Beyond is a multi-stakeholder initiative involving healthcare professionals and patient advocates, committed to driving improvements and raising awareness on blood health3,4. The scale of the problem is significant. Over 28 million Europeans are affected by anaemia5,yet comprehensive strategies to achieve good blood health remain absent from the EU's health policy agenda.
Blood health: essential but underprioritized
Blood health is a cross-cutting issue that affects women's health, chronic disease management, and operative and emergency care but remains low in EU health policy. More than 22 million blood transfusions are performed annually across Europe6.Patient Blood Management: A proven, cost-effective, and patient-centred solution
PBM is a patient-centred, evidence-based approach that improves outcomes by managing and preserving a patient's own blood7. PBM has been shown to reduce unnecessary transfusions, shorten hospital stays, and improve patient safety2. Endorsed by the WHO, PBM improves patient outcomes, reduces wasteful spending, empowers citizens, and strengthens the efficiency and resilience of healthcare systems.
Countries that have successfully implemented PBM report millions of euros saved in transfusion-related spending, while also improving the quality and effectiveness of care8. A study conducted in France estimated that PBM implementation would allow savings for hospitals and the National Health Insurance system of over 1 billion annually9.
Countries that have successfully implemented PBM report millions of euros saved in transfusion-related spending, while also improving the quality and effectiveness of care
Patient safety and empowerment
PBM Awareness Week is therefore more than a symbolic gesture. It is part of our commitment to patients optimal care and safety. We fully support recommendations from the WHO on the importance of integrating PBM into national safety and quality standards, which emphasize that safe healthcare is a fundamental human right2.
Delaying PBM implementation translates into increased morbidity and mortality: it exposes tens of millions of patients to preventable risks from anaemia, blood loss, and bleeding disorders10. PBM proactively addresses these conditions through prevention, early detection, and more effective treatment. This bundle of care preserves the patient's own blood. In addition, it reduces the risks of transfusions. The overall results are clear: better blood health translates into increased patient safety and outcomes.
The benefits do not stop there. PBM empowers patients. Through education, shared decision-making, and informed consent, individuals are given the knowledge and agency to take part in decisions about their own care.
This rights-based, patient-centred approach aligns closely with the EU's commitment to uphold citizens rights and autonomy in healthcare.
The time to act is now
The latest WHO guidance emphasizes the importance of effectively implementing PBM in countries health systems. Blood health is a foundational pillar of public health. The evidence is clear, but greater awareness is needed.
Blood and Beyond remains at the forefront of efforts to advance blood health in Europe. Building on the efforts by the WHO, urging countries to implement PBM in 202110 and providing further guidance on PBM implementation in spring 2025, we call on the European Commission to devote enough resources to Member States and support this transformation towards more resilient, efficient, and patient-centric systems through the SoHO Regulation and new initiatives.
Cyprus, with one of the world's highest prevalence rates of thalassaemias the most common inherited blood disorders11 and the highest percentage of transfusion-dependent patients in Europe, underscores why blood health matters. Next year's Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU offers an opportunity to place the conversation on blood health firmly on the EU agenda.
The European Parliament should also devote greater attention to this. The Committee on Public Health should hold a public hearing and adopt a resolution on improving blood health in Europe. For their part, EU Member States should design national strategies for PBM implementation and find synergies with their work on patient safety and quality of care.
A coordinated European policy response to advance blood health
Blood and Beyond has developed a five-point plan to guide EU and national action12:
- EU institutions must recognise the importance of blood health, promote its advancement through PBM and develop strategies for patient safety and quality of care that incorporate PBM.
- The European Commission should fund an EU-wide PBM implementation project to support Member States efforts and develop key metrics to track progress.
- The European Union should support the creation of a European network of PBM reference centres to share expertise, train healthcare professionals, and support data collection.
- Member States must adopt the WHO guidance and integrate PBM into their national health policies.
- WHO Europe and the OECD should include PBM as a quality-of-care indicator in health system assessments.
We believe this is not just about health it's about resilience, sustainability, and equity. PBM strengthens health systems, reduces dependency on blood supplies, increases equitable access to health, and empowers patients. It is a clear investment for the future of European healthcare. At Blood and Beyond, we stand ready to work with EU institutions, national governments, and other stakeholders to ensure blood health is no longer overlooked and that PBM becomes a reality.
This article is a joint contribution, written by Professor Axel Hofmann, Chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) External Steering Committee on the Implementation of Patient Blood Management, Professor Daniela Filipescu, President of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), and Dr Androulla Eleftheriou, Executive Director of the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF)
Blood & Beyond is a multi-stakeholder initiative co-funded by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and CSL, involving experts from the fields of haematology, transfusion medicine, anaesthesiology, patient blood management, nursing, patient advocacy, health economics, and hospital management, with support from policymakers committed to driving improvements in this area. The aim of the initiative is to raise awareness of the importance of good blood health and of the impact of anaemia on patients, healthcare systems and society at large, with the overarching goal to help advance policies and practices that improve patient outcomes by supporting patient-centricity in anaemia prevention, diagnosis, and management through patient blood management (PBM) and innovation.
Read more about the initiative
List of references
1. Ozawa S. Isbister JP, Farmer SL, et al. Blood health: The Ultimate Aim of Patient Blood Management. Anesth Analg. Apr 10 2025.
2. WHO. Guidance on implementing patient blood management to improve global blood health status. 2025.
3. Blood and Beyond. Rethinking blood use in Europe to improve outcomes for patients. 2020.
4. Blood and Beyond. Towards better “blood health” in Europe. 2024.
5. Safiri S, et al. Burden of anemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories, 1990/2019: results from the Global Burden Disease Study 2019. Journal of Hematology Oncology 2021;14(1):185
6. Summary of the 2023 annual reporting of serious adverse reactions and events for blood and blood components, European Commission, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, 2023,
7. Shander A, et al.,A Global Definition of Patient Blood Management, Anesth Analg 2022;135:476–88
8. Drabinski et al., Estimating the Epidemiological and Economic Impact of Implementing Preoperative Anaemia Measures in the German Healthcare System: The Health Economic Footprint of Patient Blood Management. Advances in Therapy. 2020 Aug;37(8):3515-3536
9. Lasocki S, et al., Management of perioperative iron deficiency anemia as part of patient blood management in France: A budget impact model-based analysis based on real world data. Transfusion. 2023 Sep;63(9):1692-1700.
10. WHO. Policy brief: The urgent need to implement Patient Blood Management. 2021.
11. Angastiniotis M, et al. Global epidemiology of thalassemia. In: Global Thalassemia Review 2023. Thalassemia International Federation. 2023.
12. Blood and Beyond. Five-point plan for better blood health in Europe. 2025.
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