ApproAches to AdvAncing Blood sAfety through hAemovigilAnce: A revieW

Background: Blood transfusion is always associated with some level of risk.haemovigilance is a risk monitoring system integral to the practice of transfusionmedicine whose ultimate purpose is to improve the quality and safety of transfusiontherapy.Objective: to examine the contribution of haemovigilance to blood safety, includingthe approaches that some countries have taken to institute haemovigilance, and exploreroutes through which countries without such systems can achieve them.Data sources: the internet and journals on the topic of haemovigilance and developmentof haemovigilance systems in the english language.Data selection: reputable journals on the topic of haemovigilance were examined forabstracts and papers. Abstracts based on known credible and distinguished sourceswere selected.Data extraction: information on haemovigilance and the processes of developinghaemovigilance in various countries was reviewed.Data synthesis: the information from selected papers and abstracts was used forwriting this paper.Conclusion: varying processes for haemovigilance have been adopted by differentcountries. the more advanced systems have national/regional co ordinating mechanisms.Availability of haemovigilance data has given transfusion services a clear understandingof problems associated with transfusion that need to be solved so as to improvetransfusion safety. Although countries in sub-saharan Africa have made considerableprogress in enhancing blood safety in the recent past, nationally coordinatedhaemovigilance systems are lacking. focus on haemovigilance systems is consideredthe next frontier to be conquered in enhancing blood safety in the region