Academic Journal
Emergency blood supply management during natural disasters: Lessons from the 2023 Turkey earthquake.
| Τίτλος: | Emergency blood supply management during natural disasters: Lessons from the 2023 Turkey earthquake. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Sözmen NN; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Çağlak Ş; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Çetiner E; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Canpolat Ş; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Akyüz C; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Sağdur L; General Directorate of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Yılmaz S; Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey.; Scientific Committee of Blood Services, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey., Yılmaz FM; Faculty of Medicine, Yıldırım Beyazıt Universty, Ankara, Turkey.; Managing Board, Turkish Red Crescent, Ankara, Turkey. |
| Πηγή: | Vox sanguinis [Vox Sang] 2026 Oct; Vol. 121 (10), pp. 1505-1512. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 06. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Blackwell Science Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0413606 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1423-0410 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00429007 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Vox Sang Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2001- : Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science Original Publication: Basel : Karger |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Blood Donors*/supply & distribution , Earthquakes* , Blood Banks* , Natural Disasters* , Emergency Medical Services*, Humans ; Turkey ; Retrospective Studies ; Blood Donation ; Blood Transfusion |
| Περίληψη: | Background and Objectives: Natural disasters pose significant challenges to maintaining a continuous and safe blood supply. This study aimed to analyse the emergency response of the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) blood services during the 2023 Turkey earthquake, focusing on blood supply continuity, donor mobilization and lessons learnt for future preparedness. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using operational data from the TRC General Directorate of Blood Services. Information on blood component requests, supplies, donor mobilization, infrastructure status and personnel deployment was collected from the period immediately following the earthquake through the subsequent recovery phase. Results: The earthquake severely disrupted blood service infrastructure in the affected provinces, resulting in the destruction of two blood collection units and damage to several facilities. Despite these challenges, the TRC successfully met demands from the transfusion centres through rapid activation of its Emergency Crisis Board, inter-regional redistribution of packed red blood cells and strategic donor management. Within 15 days, 250,708 blood units were collected nationwide-a 129% increase compared to pre-disaster levels. Controlled donation scheduling, proactive communication and inter-regional staff deployment ensured sustained operations and prevented overcollection. However, gaps in data interoperability between hospitals and TRC systems limited real-time monitoring of clinical blood usage. Conclusion: The TRC's response demonstrated the effectiveness of a centralized and integrated blood service model in managing large-scale emergencies. Key lessons include the importance of donor flow regulation, transparent communication and improved hospital data integration to enhance future disaster preparedness and resilience. (© 2026 International Society of Blood Transfusion.) |
| References: | Abdella Y, Hajjeh R, Smit Sibinga C. Availability and safety of blood transfusion during humanitarian emergencies. East Mediterr Health J. 2018;24:778–788. Perrotta JC, Laurencin AR, Andrinopoulos K, Lambert AJ, Dodd RY, Gilcher RO. Geographic distribution of blood collections in Haiti before and after the 2010 earthquake. PLoS One. 2017;12:e0188569. World Health Organization. Safe blood and blood products: guidelines for blood transfusion services. Geneva: WHO Press; 2017. Available from: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default‐source/blood‐transfusion‐safety/guidelines‐and‐principles‐for‐safe‐blood‐transfudion‐practice.pdf?sfvrsn=f249f9a_1. Last accessed 1 Aug 2025. World Health Organization. Guidance on ensuring a sufficient supply of safe blood and blood components during emergencies. Geneva: WHO Press; 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240068636. Last accessed 1 Aug 2025. Vox Sang. Impact of disasters on blood donation rates and blood safety: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Vox Sang. 2022;117:321–330. Karaca A, Sağdur L, Günçıkan MN, Yılmaz M, Sözmen N, Kınık K, et al. The experience of the Turkish Red Crescent blood banks in the 2023 Türkiye earthquake. Transfus Med. 2025;35:235–242. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Turkey earthquake; blood banking; disaster preparedness; donor management; emergency blood supply; natural disasters |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260106 Date Completed: 20261008 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261009 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/vox.70174 |
| PMID: | 41494687 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1423-0410 |
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| DOI: | 10.1111/vox.70174 |