ABU DHABI, 16th November, 2025 (WAM) -- The Transfusion Medicine Updates Conference concluded Saturday evening, in Abu Dhabi, drawing broad participation from physicians and specialists in transfusion medicine, laboratory sciences and clinical practice from the United States, Canada, Japan and other GCC countries.
Participants recommended continued support for innovation in the field of transfusion medicine, increased research on blood alternatives and the adoption of digital technologies to enhance service quality and improve emergency response times. They also emphasised the importance of strengthening international collaboration among medical centers and hospitals to exchange expertise and best practices.
The final day featured panel discussions on advances in donor blood processing to increase safety, the introduction of additional infectious disease screenings such as malaria testing and the latest transfusion guidelines, including updates tailored for patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Sessions also addressed readiness mechanisms for mass-casualty incidents and developments in donor databases.
Dr. Eiman Al Zaabi, Chair of the Conference and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine department at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, noted that this year’s event came amid major advancements in smart technologies and modern innovations in transfusion medicine. She said the conference served as a platform to showcase the latest scientific developments and enabled valuable knowledge exchange, especially regarding the use of artificial intelligence to enhance healthcare quality and improve patient experience.
She added that the scientific committee honored several outstanding research presentations, particularly those highlighting recent innovations in transfusion medicine, noting that they were evaluated against rigorous scientific standards.
Dr. May Raouf, Consultant Clinical Pathologist and Medical Director of the Dubai Blood Donation Centre, reviewed smart applications in the field of transfusion medicine. She emphasized that such technologies significantly improve service efficiency, reduce waiting time and operational costs, ensure transfusion safety and enhance donor and patient confidence and satisfaction.
Dr. May highlighted the “Dami” mobile application, which reflects the Dubai Blood Donation Center’s experience in integrating smart and digital solutions. The app allows donors to access donation guidelines and information, complete questionnaires that include around 43 questions, review their donation history and identify optimal future donation dates. She explained that this digital service ensures continuous communication with donors, reduces time spent at the center, enhances service quality and minimizes medical errors and documentation issues, allowing staff to focus more on technical operations.
She also discussed the “Watheen” digital platform, which connects the Dubai Blood Donation Center to all licensed hospitals—47 private and six government hospitals within Dubai Health.
She noted that the platform digitally processes all requests for blood units and components, significantly reducing service time compared to the previous system that relied on manual submission of forms. Today, the Dubai Blood Donation Center serves as the primary provider meeting hospital blood needs with greater speed and accuracy.