Safeblood

Important Questions For Canadians

What change is Canadian Blood Services (CBS) proposing and how is it different from the current procedure?
What's wrong with the change CBS is proposing?
Why is the change important to Canadians?
Why are nurses opposing CBS making this change?

More...

Safe blood. Canadians rely on it. During illness or injury Canadians rely on safe blood. Since the tainted-blood scandal of the 1980s, the Krever Inquiry recommendations have helped produce a national blood system that's served Canadians well. Nurses are a key part of keeping our blood safe and donors healthy because they perform a health interview with every donor before they give blood.
	Nurses are concerned about changes proposed by Canadian Blood Services CBS is proposing changes in the way donors are screened. They want to eliminate nurses from initial donor screening and replace them with multi-skilled workers with only eight weeks training. CBS wants nurses to be involved in donor screening only if multi-skilled workers (or other staff) request they assess a client for eligibility. But multi-skilled workers will lack the necessary medical background to know which donors need a nursing assessment and which do not.
	CBS' proposed change is a bad idea because: An important link in a keeping blood safe will be broken when nurses don't assess every donor. More... CBS can't rely only on blood testing. More...
	Careful screening is essential to a safe blood supply The Krever Inquiry into Canada's tainted-blood scandal said "careful screening is essential to maintain a safe blood supply and it must continue." Nurses are an important part of blood screening. CBS has requested that Health Canada allow a pilot project eliminating nurses from initial donor screening. They haven't supplied evidence to demonstrate the change will promote safe blood and healthy donors. Unions representing CBS nurses have written to Canada's health minister asking her to reject CBS' request. If you also think it's a bad idea to eliminate nurses from initial blood donor screening email Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. Ask her to keep nurses screening every blood donor.

Donors are not always aware of illness. It takes professionals like nurses to identify subtle health problems.

Nurses have clinical skills in pharmacy, physiology and pathology to identify risks of illness. Those skills are well beyond the training of multi-skilled workers.

Not every infectious agent has a blood screening test and some go unnoticed in tests during ‘window periods.’ Nurses can identify symptoms and eliminate threats to our blood supply before donations are made.

Currently nurses perform a health interview with every donor. They determine if it’s safe for them to give blood and refer them for early medical care if symptoms of illness are detected.

Over 90% of our blood supply comes from repeat donors. Keeping donors healthy is critical to our healthcare system.