National Blood Authority
AUSTRALIAN HAEMOVIGILANCE REPORT
A report by the National Blood Authority Haemovigilance Advisory Committee
Significant progress has occurred in the blood sector since the second Australian Haemovigilance Report. It is widely acknowledged that haemovigilance is an important tool to improve the effective and appropriate management of blood and blood products, and to ensure the safety of Australians receiving and donating blood. The NBA and blood sector stakeholders assisted the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) to develop National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standard 7 - Blood and Blood Products. The intention of this standard is to ensure that the patients who receive blood and blood products do so appropriately and safely; haemovigilance is a key feature of the standard.
Nationally consistent and complete data, and the validation of incident reports, are crucial to haemovigilance activities. The NBA is currently conducting work to scope a national haemovigilance system which would support and enhance these activities. The scoping exercise will deliver a full understanding of the requirements and management options for a national system, and will result in a business case that will be presented to governments at the Jurisdictional Blood Committee.
To further promote haemovigilance activities in Australia, the NBA intends to extend the scope of the National Haemovigilance Program to all blood and blood products that are supplied and distributed under the National Blood Agreement, including fresh blood, plasma derived and recombinant products.
The third report is a valuable resource for assisting in understanding the risks associated with transfusion and donation in Australia. I would like to offer sincere thanks to all contributing parties for their dedication and hard work promoting safety and quality in the Australian blood sector.
Leigh McJames
General Manager
National Blood Authority