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Blood donations collection in France: organisation and difficulties Volume 9, issue 3, Mai 2003

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Établissement français du sang‐Bretagne, 1, rue Pierre‐Jean Gineste, BP 91614, Rennes Cédex, France.

In France, blood donations collection is organized by the "Etablissement Français du Sang" (EFS), sole and public operator authorized to satisfy the national needs in blood products which he has to supply with sufficiency and with optimal quality. Blood collection has to be in accordance with the regulations and ethical principles registered in the law. It is regularly controlled by the "Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé" (AFSSaPS). Although the blood donations are decreasing for several years, France is autosufficient in labile blood products : in 2001, 2 207 590 whole blood donations, 125 869 plasma apheresis et 153 437 platelet apheresis donations have been done in France (data EFS). But this outcome hides regional disparities, recurring periods of insufficient supply and difficulties specific to each type of donations. Also, if the level of blood safety has never been so high in France, the selection of blood donation candidates raises ethical questions and psychological problems susceptible to generate anxiety among donors, or open conflicts. The organization of blood collection has to reconcile constraints of different natures in order to insure blood supply while protecting the imperatives of sanitary safety.