Blood is a vital healthcare resource used in a broad range of hospital procedures. It is also a potential vehicle for harmful, and sometimes fatal, infectious diseases, such as HIV, hepatitis B and C. Every year, millions of people are exposed to life-threatening risks through the transfusion of unsafe blood which is completely avoidable. Optimizing blood collection and processing would reduce the rate of discard of blood and improve the efficiency of blood transfusion services and make available safe blood for the needy, also preventing potentially deadly iatrogenic infections.