Guidelines

What is it?

This e-mail network was established by the Board in 1998 to serve as a forum for members to post questions to knowledgeable individuals within CBBS about any aspect of transfusion medicine. Unlike other online forums, it is moderated by experienced editors with access to a number of knowledgeable individuals spanning the breadth of transfusion medicine across the country. In addition, posted issues remain available for reference well beyond the limited period such issues are kept on other forums. Unlike "Letters to the Editor" covering similar issues in various transfusion journals, responses are usually posted within days rather than months.

How does it operate?

A member e-mails a question to the e-Network Forum Senior Editor and Moderator (Ira A. Shulman, MD*), Editor and Moderator (W. Tait Stevens, MD**) or Associate Editor and Moderatory (Elizabeth M. St. Lezin, MD***) who forwards it to one or more professionals knowledgeable in that subject. The response will be e-mailed back to the member in a timely fashion. If the issue is one of general interest, the Editor will e-mail the response to all subscribers to the e-network, and the Webmaster will post it in the e-Network section of this CBBS web-site. Where there is no single best answer to a question, as often is the case, a range of reasonable options based on opinions of the knowledgeable individuals will be presented.

What sorts of questions are submitted?

These are the main areas, along with sample questions:

Medical/Technical
- When a recipient develops fever during blood transfusion, what criteria should we use to decide when to obtain cultures of the patient and the blood component?
- In a patient being transfused for autoimmune haemolytic anemia, how often should we perform absorption tests to look for alloantibodies?
Regulatory
What is the source of the regulation prohibiting collection of blood from a donor more often than every 56 days? When are exceptions permitted?
Donor Eligibility
Is it acceptable to collect blood from an autologous donor with an indwelling catheter?
Administrative
How many FTEs are generally needed to manage regulatory functions in a medium-sized donor center? How large should they be?

Will anyone know who I am?

In questions or responses for general distribution, the individual submitting each item will not be identified, unless he/she so wishes. Emails from the persons granting permission to use their attribution may be maintained on the moderators' computers. As a condition to utilizing the website and e-Network Forum, users agree to waive any claims related to such inadvertent loss of attribution permission information.

It is understood that if a request is received by CBBS to directly contact an author of a question or comment, the moderator(s) may contact the author and it is the decision of him/her to contact the requestor. However, there may be some situations where we simply cannot keep this promise - if required by a valid subpoena, CBBS may be required to turn over personal information about users and authors.

Do you have an email list privacy policy?

Yes. Please click here to review.

How do I submit a question?

First, add this name to your e-mail Address Book:
enetworkforum@cbbsweb.org
Next time you think of a question, just send it to this address, or use our online form and submit a question or comment to a previous discussion.

How do I unsubscribe?

Please click on the unsubscribe link which is located at the bottom of each email you receive.

How many people visit the CBBS web site?

The amount of "traffic" has grown substantially since the site was first announced in March 1999. Here are some "snapshots" of the mean number of visits per month since then.

Period	Mean # of Visits/month
April - June 1999	214
April - June 2000	619
July - March 2001	912
May 2003	12,000
January 2005	50,000
April 2009	84,000

Is that all?

As for questions, yes. But there's more. Periodically, the e-Network Forum Editors and will forward other items of interest to all subscribers, such as:

Forthcoming CBBS educational events - Regional Seminars, Annual Meeting

Fastbreaking news items affecting the blood-banking community, with comments by knowledgeable individuals within CBBS and beyond

Click HERE to access the online subscription form.

* (Professor and Vice Chair of Pathology, and Director of the USC Transfusion Medicine Services Group, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California; Director of Laboratories and Pathology, LAC+USC Medical Center)

**(Medical Director, Transfusion Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center)

***(Clinical Professor Laboratory Medicine UCSF, Director Transfusion Medicine, San Francisco VA Medical Center)

Current List of e-Network Forum Discussions by Subject

The e-Network Forum is supported in part by the California Blood Bank Society (CBBS) and the American Red Cross Blood Services (ARCBS) and endorses collegial discussion among blood banking and transfusion medicine professionals. However, neither the CBBS nor the ARCBS in any way endorse the specific views and opinions expressed in the forum. The forum is not intended as a substitute for medical or legal advice and the content should not be relied upon for any medical or legal purposes. Readers should make their own determinations as to: (i) what constitutes appropriate medical, technical, and administrative practices, and (ii) how best to comply with laws and regulations relevant to their questions. For the latter, they should consider consulting, as to any medical matters, a qualified physician, and, as to any legal matters, an attorney familiar with related state and federal laws. The user of the forum, by accessing same, assumes all risks arising out of such use and releases CBBS and their respective members, directors, officers and agents from and against any loss, damage, claim or liability arising out of such use of the Forum.