National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) will soon introduce Android mobile application for adverse donor reaction reporting to ensure blood quality and safety. The mobile app would be an effective mode of the software being developed on the lines of Haemovigil software meant to collect data related to blood transfusion reactions.

The software is currently being developed in collaboration with ministry of information and technology and NIB with technical and audit support from National Informatics Centre (NIC).

NIB is an autonomous institution under the Union health ministry which ensures quality of biologicals and vaccines in the country available through domestic manufacturers or imports.

The modalities of the same have been discussed and approved during the recent meeting of national executive committee of HvPI held recently at NIB, Noida. The meeting also approved designing of a detailed new transfusion reaction reporting form (TRRF) for reporting adverse reactions during and after blood transfusion, and also the adverse donor reaction reporting format under National Blood Donor Vigilance Programme (NBDVP).

The national executive committee meet also deliberated among other major agendas on the reconstitution of Signal Review Panel, Quality Review Panel, Training Review Panel, State Working Group and Haemovigilance Advisory Committee. It will also discuss review of analysis of transfusion reaction reports under HvPI submitted by Quality Review Panel and collaboration with International Haemovigilance Network (IHN).

More than 2700 adverse reactions have been reported till date through a form called as TRRF which is linked to the NIB through a software named Haemovigil at the national level. A standard practice in many countries, haemovigilance is aimed at keeping details pertaining to collection, investigation, its analysis and transfusion of blood or blood components. It also documents adverse reactions to recipients and the people handling the vital fluid.

HvPI at the national level was launched on December 10, 2012 by NIB to track adverse reactions associated with blood transfusion and blood product administration. NIB is the national co-ordinating centre (NCC) for HvPI in 90 medical institutions within the country and has 207 centres under its umbrella including blood banks and medical institutions.

HvPI also aims to identify trends in adverse reactions and events, thereby to form transfusion policy, target areas for improvement in practice, stimulate research, raise awareness of transfusion hazards, give an early warning of new complications to improve safety of transfusion for patients.

Such information is also key to introduce required changes in the applicable policies, improve standards, systems and processes, assist in the formulation of guidelines, and increase the safety and quality of the entire process from donation to transfusion.