English: In this research, an in-depth study was done to construct a model for the academic development and implementation of a Postgraduate Diploma in Transfusion Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of the Free State. Transfusion medicine as a discipline has experienced major advances over the past few decades with an emphasis on increased blood safety and the improvement of systems, technology and administrative processes. Unfortunately, attention has largely been focused on laboratory aspects and clinical transfusion medicine has lagged behind. This has resulted in the present situation where clinical transfusion medicine has become totally underrepresented in medical curricula, despite the fact that many doctors are involved in administering blood and blood products. This has led to a number of studies and publications on the increasing rate of preventable transfusionassociated deaths resulting from errors on the part of medical personnel. Many researchers have made the link between these errors and the inadequate education and training received by doctors in respect of transfusion medicine. This begs the question as to how this gap in the knowledge market can adequately be bridged and further what a model for the academic development and implementation of a Postgraduate Diploma in Transfusion Medicine should look like. Against this background, the problem that was addressed in this study was the absence of such a model. As far as the researcher could ascertain, no such model existed prior to his embarking upon this research. The goal of the research was thus to develop a model for the academic development and implementation of a Postgraduate Diploma in Transfusion Medicine – specific to the South African context – with a view to contributing to safer and more cost-effective transfusion practice by clinicians. A further aim of the study was to develop this model specifically in the School of Medicine at the University of the Free State. Both qua, Afrikaans: In hierdie navorsing is ʼn diepgaande studie gedoen om ʼn model daar te stel vir die akademiese ontwikkeling en implementering van ʼn nagraadse diploma in transfusiegeneeskunde aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat. Die terrein van transfusiegeneeskunde het in die laaste aantal dekades groot veranderinge ondergaan met die klem op toenemende veiligheid van bloed, asook die verbetering van stelsels, tegnologie en administratiewe prosesse. Ongelukkig is die aandag grotendeels toegespits op laboratoriumaspekte van transfusiegeneeskunde en het kliniese transfusiegeneeskunde tot ʼn groot mate agterweë gebly. Die gevolg hiervan is die situasie waarin ons ons tans bevind, naamlik dié van ʼn dissipline gekenmerk deur swak verteenwoordiging in mediese kurrikula, ten spyte daarvan dat die meeste dokters bloed en bloedprodukte toedien as deel van hul daaglikse praktykvoering. Dit het gelei tot ʼn verskeidenheid studies en publikasies wat wys op die toenemende aantal voorkombare transfusieverwante sterftes as gevolg van foute deur mediese personeel. Verskillende navorsers het die verband tussen hierdie foute en ontoereikende opleiding in transfusiegeneeskunde kon aantoon. Die vraag wat dus ontstaan het, was hoe hierdie leemte in die kennismark voldoende oorbrug kan word en hoe ʼn model vir die akademiese ontwikkeling en implementering van ʼn nagraadse diploma in transfusiegeneeskunde daar moet uitsien. Teen hierdie agtergrond, is die probleem van die afwesigheid van so ʼn model in hierdie studie aangespreek. So ver as die navorser kon vasstel, was daar ten tyde van die aanvang van die navorsing, geen sodanige model beskikbaar nie. Die doelstelling van die navorsing was dus die ontwikkeling van ʼn model vir die akademiese ontwikkeling en implementering van ʼn nagraadse diploma in transfusiegeneeskunde, spesifiek toegespits op die Suid-Afrikaanse omgewing, ten einde ʼn bydrae te maak tot veiliger en meer koste-effektiewe bloedoortappingspraktyk deur mediese dokters. Die, Research Committee, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UFS