Transfusion medicine in Austria

This article describes the field of transfusion medicine in Austria. It refers to national legislation, the organisation and areas of responsibility of the Austrian blood establishments. Information is provided about the mandatory qualification and the duties of the staff, including specialists, medical assistant technicians and nurses. In the last years topics of special interest were the implementation and validation of the IT systems, the introduction and maintenance of quality management systems - almost all blood banks are ISO 9001:2000 certified - and the mandatory haemovigilance network established in 2004. A short preview gives a summary of scientific and future considerations.