DescriptionGeneral Series. MEDICINE IN COMPUTER AGE. The Uppsala new computerised blood transfusion service covers up to a quarter of Sweden’s 8 million people, and may be serving the whole of the country in a few years. Installed in the Karolinska Hospital, the central computer contains the register of donors and is programed to call them in for donation to their local blood bank when they are required. At the beginning of each week, the computer indicates the quantities and the groups of blood needed and selects the donors, taking into consideration the time of the last donations as well as personal convenience (holidays, unsuitable times of the day etc.) The heavy load of paper work is replaced by punched cards, more blood, is being obtained from fewer donors and wastage of blood is no more than 3 to 5% compared with up to 15% in the past. Checking the punched card a last time before the transfusion. WHO/13091. Photo by T. Farkas
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