[Subspecialty blood transfusion medicine]

The unification of Europe, the related principle of self-sufficiency and the prevention of blood banks turning into bureaucratic institutes that lose connection with bedside medicine underscores the need for training in transfusion medicine and its international organization. In most European countries transfusion medicine is now recognized as a specialty in its own right. In the Netherlands it was decided to recognize transfusion medicine as subspecialty of Internal Medicine. This new initiative led to a training programme of 6 years in all, of which the last 18 months are devoted to transfusion medicine exclusively. The importance of continuous education and practice in both fields is recognized.