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NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Data Driven Transfusion Practice

Director

The problem

About 2.5 million units of blood or its constituents are transfused in the UK every year,  at a cost of over £300 million. They play a vital role in saving lives, from patients with major bleeding or those with anaemia, sickle cell disease, cancer or kidney disease. But studies show that the recommendations for best practice are not always followed, and patients do not always receive the best possible care. 

At the same time, recent blood shortages highlight the need for improved information on blood stocks and usage, so that blood service can accurately predicate how much blood is needed and where.

What we want to do

We want to speed up the development of data-driven methods to optimise blood use, and integrate these methods into routine medical practice, to improve outcomes for patients. We will do this by working with the public and patients, as well as research collaborators across the UK, to collect and analyse routinely collected electronic data (like that recorded by GP’s and other clinical services).