Grant: Operating Grant

The precautionary principle has become highly influential in the formation of policies concerning transfusion safety. The adoption of the principle to address theoretical risks has resulted in highly risk averse policy which has both enhanced the safety of the blood supply but also contributed to rising blood costs. The application of the precautionary principle to transfusion medicine has presented some challenges including clearly defining the principle and recognizing that the application of precaution can itself create risks to health by reducing the donor supply. This grant outlines a project which will examine the use of precaution in 4 transfusion safety decisions and then utilizing a policy delphi to develop a framework for applying the precautionary principle to transfusion safety.