The Krever Commission Inquiry into Canada’s blood supply system recommended that the system be operated in an open and accessible manner. One of the highest risks of transfusion is the risk of receiving a blood component intended for another recipient. Estimates of the frequency of transfusion of blood of the wrong (incompatible) ABO blood group is approximately 1 in 40,000, (reference bloody easy 3). To ensure safety of the blood system, Health Canada commissioned the Canadian Standards Association to develop standards for blood suppliers and hospitals.

Standards and provincial regulations require trained transfusionists to perform the final checks that ensure that the right blood is administered to the right patient prior to a transfusion. This may be the last chance to catch an error before an ABO-incompatible product is transfused.

A comprehensive snap shot of Saskatchewan’s transfusion practices at the patient’s bedside was completed in 2014. The pdf below is a PowerPoint presentation of the results