Beyond the Bag: The Essential Blueprint for Designing and Running Prehospital Blood Programs

Beyond the Bag is an intensive full-day workshop that equips EMS leaders, medical directors, and coordinators with the structure, tools, and confidence to build sustainable, data-driven prehospital blood programs. Grounded in the Prehospital Blood Transfusion Coalition (PHBTC) Six Pillars Framework and aligned with AABB Standards for emergency prehospital and scheduled out-of-hospital transfusions, this course translates research into action. Participants will progress through the Six Pillars—Implementation & Needs Assessment, Program Development, Documentation, Logistics, Training, and Quality Assurance—using real-world examples and evidence from landmark trials. Attendees will engage in applied learning through simulation, data interpretation, and policy design sessions, culminating in a dynamic roundtable discussion focused on integration and sustainability. The day concludes with participants leaving equipped with customizable templates for training validation, quality assurance dashboards, and implementation checklists designed for real-world adoption. Whether your agency is preparing for its first deployment or scaling an existing program, this workshop provides the roadmap to align clinical excellence, operational readiness, and regulatory compliance—bridging the gap between evidence and execution.