The EU optimal blood use project.

The EU optimal blood use project (EUOBUP) is co-funded by the European Commission and led by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS). Its purpose is to develop, evaluate and disseminate a manual that provides practical guidance and support for those seeking to improve the safety of the clinical transfusion process and the effectiveness of the prescribing of blood components. We define the optimal use of blood components as the safe, clinically effective and efficient use of the scarce resource of donated human blood. The project will build on the experience of a pilot project in optimal use of blood in the national health service in Scotland. This pilot developed training resources in the safe and effective use of blood and delivered training to a large number of practitioners. It has also developed systems to provide hospitals with comparative information on their use of blood components for specific clinical groups of patients to assist them in reviewing practice against that of their peers.