Challenges in implementation of an hemoviligance system in resouces limited areas

¹Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Haemovigilance incorporates surveillance from donor to recipients of blood components to observe any adverse incidents affecting the quality of the components and the health of the donors and recipients. Haemovigilance covers all stages of the transfusion chain, including monitoring donor epidemiology, enabling the assessment of the residual risk of transfusion. Blood transfusion professionals and policy-makers in many African countries recognize the need for haemovigilance systems.

The implementation of haemovigilance in Africa is at very disparate levels. The main haemovigilance pillars most observed are traceability and reporting and confidentiality. Trusting and blame-free culture, independence are rarely reported in existing system and variously implemented. Reporting is frequently paper-based and easy to compile, but communication between reporters are irregular and not always in a timely manner. Health authorities are clearly committed but they are sometimes unable to develop or implement haemovigilance systems due to various barriers, including lack of knowledge, lack of resources, lack of standardized practices, fragmented blood services, and lack of support from all stakeholders needed for successful implementation.

More resources must be allocated to the operational structures and improve staff skills. A haemovigilance system should be an integral part of the overall quality system covering all aspects of the transfusion chain from donor to recipient.