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Ethical issues in transfusion medicine
Elhence, Priti
Elhence, Priti
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ijme_3_2006.pdf
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Abstract
The practice of transfusion medicine involves a number of ethical issues because blood comes from human beings and is a precious resource with a limited shelf life. In 1980 the International Society of Blood Transfusion endorsed its first formal code of ethics, which was adopted by the World Health Organisation and the League of Red Crescent Societies. A revised code of ethics for donation and transfusion was endorsed in 2000. Blood donation as a gift, donor confidentiality, donor notification and donor consent, consent for transfusion, the right to refuse blood transfusion, the right to be informed if harmed, and ethical principles for establishments, are discussed in the international and Indian contexts. Ethics is basically a set of moral values or a code of conduct. The role of ethics in developing clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for health-care providers is to ensure that values that may not be adequately incorporated into the law are given reasonable consideration. The framers and the users of guidelines must be aware of the potential ethical conflicts inherent in many medical decisions, and the guidelines must reflect a thoughtful consideration and balancing of issues. The practice of transfusion medicine involves a number of ethical issues because blood comes from human beings and is a precious resource with a limited shelf life. It involves a moral responsibility towards both donors and patients. Decisions must be based on four principles: respect for individuals and their worth, protection of individuals' rights and well being, avoidance of exploitation, and the Hippocratic principle of primum non nocere or "first do no harm".
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2006-07
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With permission of the license/copyright holder