The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published the 21st edition of the Guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components.

The Blood Guide provides blood establishments, hospital blood banks, healthcare and regulatory professionals with a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in the blood field, technical standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of blood and blood components, and ethical guidance concerning blood donation and collection. The Blood Guide also includes the Good Practice Guidelines (GPGs) which provide standards for the implementation of quality systems in blood establishments and, where applicable, hospital blood banks. In accordance with European Commission Directive (EU) 2016/1214, the GPGs should be taken into account by EU member states in the implementation of quality systems in blood establishments.