Blood Safety Contribution Program

The Blood Safety Contribution Program ended on March 30, 2026.

The Blood Safety Contribution Program supported surveillance activities for blood, tissue, and organ related adverse events :

Transfusion Error Surveillance System (TESS)

The Transfusion Error Surveillance System (TESS) was initiated in 2005 by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to monitor errors occurring at any point in the transfusion chain. TESS was made up of 15 hospitals that reported all transfusion-related errors to PHAC on a quarterly basis. Tracking transfusion-related errors made it possible to identify not only the points in the transfusion chain where errors most commonly occurred, but also the points where changes could be implemented in order to limit the opportunity for transfusion errors.

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Transfusion Transmitted Injuries Surveillance System (TTISS)

The Transfusion Transmitted Injuries Surveillance System (TTISS) was a voluntary nationwide surveillance system established by PHAC in 2001 to monitor serious, moderate, and selected minor transfusion-related adverse events occurring in Canadian healthcare settings. The TTISS collected data on adverse reactions related to the transfusion of blood components (red blood cells, granulocytes, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitates) and blood products (plasma derivatives). Events were reported from an extensive network of hospitals throughout the country, covering all provinces and two territories.

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Cells, Tissues and Organs Surveillance System (CTOSS)

The Cells, Tissues and Organs Surveillance System (CTOSS) was a PHAC surveillance initiative which began in 2007 as a pilot project to capture transplantation adverse events. The surveillance system was comprised of three components: cells, tissues and organs. The tissue component was well established with 5 pilot sites participating (Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia).

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2026-04-22