Welcome to TTISS Ontario

Adverse Transfusion Events (ATEs) are a serious concern to patients and their caregivers, and must be thoroughly documented in order to improve clinical practice outcomes for the future.

What is an adverse transfusion event (ATE)?
The Public Health Agency of Canada defines these events as: 

“..an undesirable and unintended occurrence during or after the administration of blood, blood components, or plasma derivatives.”

 

The Transfusion Transmitted Injuries Surveillance System (TTISS) is maintained by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to collect data on ATEs resulting from the therapeutic use of blood, blood components, plasma derivatives and recombinant products across the country.  In Ontario, hospital transfusion services report ATEs using this national system.  Several hospitals have databases installed, into which they enter data collected post-transfusion.   Until recently, those systems were not connected in any fashion so timely summaries were unavailable. Ontario transfusion personnel, concerned about ATEs, did not have access to information to improve practice.

That is changing.  As part of the Blood Programs Coordinating Office, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care initiatives, a centralized database of information from province wide TTISS reports is being constructed.  The McMaster Transfusion Research Program and Southwest Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network is the home to an Ontario TTISS Coordinator and a team of individuals devoted to various aspects of operational and clinical research in Transfusion Medicine. 

For more information on TTISS go to
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hcai-iamss/tti-it/index.html or contact
onttiss@mcmaster.ca

Notice to Health Care Professionals:
If you are a healthcare professional interested in the field of blood transfusion, and would like to find out more about TTISS Ontario, in the near future, you will be able to log on to the Member section of this website where links to TTISS summary reports and notices about use of the system will be posted.

Transfusion Errors Surveillance System (TESS)
Also funded by PHAC, TESS is a web-based “no-fault” transfusion error tracking system.  Based on experience from the TTISS program, TESS focuses on the class of transfusion related adverse events, not due to problems with the product, but the errors associated with various procedural and laboratory steps required for safe administration of product.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre operates as the Project Manger for TESS on behalf of Ontario and has been working with PHAC to develop the program for implementation across Canada.  Started in January 2005, TESS is still considered a pilot project under development by PHAC.

In the upcoming year, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre will identify hospitals in Ontario to join the pilot program and work with PHAC to provide expertise and support for a national roll-out.  The goal is to develop an integrated, web based, national medical event reporting system comprised of both TTISS and TESS.