The CAN/CSA Z902 Standard for Blood and Blood Components is a quality systems-based national standard that will regulate Transfusion Medicine services in Canada.

In 2005, as part of the laboratory reform initiative, the BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office (PBCO) developed a pilot project to establish a quality system framework in Transfusion Medicine laboratories in BC. Using a “hub and spoke” collaborative model, the PBCO engaged laboratory stakeholders and provided coordinated support for regional implementation of this standard.

 

The current version of this Standard is CAN/CSA Z902-10 .

The benefits of implementing a provincially organized and regionally managed quality system framework in Transfusion Medicine are to:

•Identify opportunities to reduce error occurrence and operational waste.
•Promote provincial quality system concepts and principles.
•Promote provincially standardized operations in the Transfusion Medicine laboratories in BC.
•Reduce costs associated with the search for information by each health authority and decrease time spent on independent document revision and approval cycles.
•Improve compliance with the Diagnostic Accreditation Program (DAP) and the CAN/CSA Z902-04 standard.

Significant progress has been made in advancing quality management of the BC Transfusion Medicine system through the excellent work of various quality related provincial working groups and project teams. The organizational model of provincial coordination and health authority management was effectively used to reach consensus on standardized Transfusion Medicine processes and procedures that can now be customized to meet the needs of each Transfusion Medicine laboratory service level in the province of BC.