A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF INFECTION CONTROL MEASURES IN BLOOD DISORDER TREATMENT CENTERS

Background: Infection control is critical in hematology units as patients with blood disorders are highly vulnerable to acquiring healthcare-associated infections. The increased risk of infection is high due to the nature of various immunosuppressive treatments, including chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, and CAR-T cell therapy. Objective: This systematic review assesses European blood disorder treatment facilities through evidence evaluation and synthesis regarding their infection control measures as they impact patient safety and intervention outcomes. Methods: A systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines throughout its conduct. The PubMed database served as the primary information source for our research in February 2025. The research used "infection control" alongside "blood disorders" and "hematology" as search parameters, along with names of particular European nations. Researchers included studies based on infection control interventions that targeted hematology or transfusion settings between 2010 and 2024. The authors extracted key information regarding study design, intervention type, patient data, implementation obstacles, and measured outcomes. Results: The research analysis included eight eligible studies involving expert consensus guidelines, observational analyses, and modeling studies. The study identified pathogen reduction technologies (PRTs) and HEV screening as well as blood culture standardization and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and infection prophylaxis in CAR-T cell therapy and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) safety among the infection control strategies. Multiple research studies found that effective infection reduction methods and improved diagnostics were successful, yet variations existed between national guideline practice and monitoring programs. Conclusions: European healthcare institutions for hematology patients show an increasing tendency towards implementing proactive, evidence-based infection control practices. High-quality guidelines and modern technologies remain accessible, but differences emerge during implementation. The region requires coordinated efforts to standardize healthcare practices while improving screening mechanisms and funding distribution to protect patients equitably on an equal basis.