BloodTechNet educational resources

The BloodTechNet program was launched in 2011 to facilitate the development of innovative educational resources that support the transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation communities in Canada. The program is led by Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation with financial support from Grifols. For information about the next BloodTechNet program competition, visit blood.ca.

Current projects

To read more about previously funded BloodTechNet projects search our funded projects database.

Educational resources developed through BloodTechNet

Development of internet modules for serology curriculum delivery (2018 competition)

This team developed six interactive educational modules for learning about immunohematology—all available on LearnSerology.ca. The content, which includes a novel interactive module for completing an antibody investigation panel, was developed for post-graduate medical trainees in clinical hematology and may also be useful for medical laboratory technologists. Learn more about the modules—why they were developed, how we know they’re effective, and how they are currently being used—on this R.E.D. blog post.

Better blood transfusion: Phase 2 (2018 competition)

This team supported a practice change in the use of satellite fridges and transport of blood. They created educational resources (Standard Work Documents), for clinical and allied staff that include links to short videos showing how to complete tasks related to satellite fridges.

Stem Cell Transplantation Multimedia Toolkit (2018 competition)

The Stem Cell Transplantation Multimedia Toolkit was developed by the Stem Cell Club to support the education of health-care professionals for the recruitment of stem cell donors. The toolkit includes a whiteboard video series on stem cell donation; a stem cell donation infographic and; Why We Swab: a library of stories in stem cell donation. Animated whiteboard videos are posted on the Canadian Blood Services Youtube channel and on the stemcellclub.ca website. 

Podcasts were developed by the International Collaboration for Transfusion Medicine Guidelines (ICTMG) to inform physicians about transfusion clinical guidelines. The first podcast discusses red cell specifications for hemoglobinopathies and guides physicians who treat patients with thalassemia and sickle cell anemia in selecting red blood cells. The second podcast is for physicians who treat mothers and babies with Fetal Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) – a potentially life-threatening illness for fetuses and neonates where platelets are destroyed by maternal alloantibodies to human platelet antigens.  The podcasts and other resources for implementing the clinical guidelines are accessible at www.ictmg.org. 

PID (Primary Immune Deficiency) Toolkit App (2017 competition)

The Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PIDD) Toolkit was developed by the BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office (PBCO) in collaboration with a group of provincial immunologists and transfusion medicine physicians. The Toolkit is intended to support the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with PIDD. The App contains diagnostic and treatment algorithms (presented in two different formats), a dose calculator to determine IVIG or SCIG dose, a dose adjustment calculator, links to the BC provincial IG recommendations as well as other links and references of interest. The PIDD Toolkit on the app can be downloaded for Apple or Android.

 

Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PIDD) Toolkit

Screenshot of the Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PIDD) Toolkit app.

A chat with Susana Darnel, Pam Danesin and Dr. Doug Morrison about the project during ISBT 2018 congress in Toronto.

Social media for knowledge translation and education 3 (SoMe-KTE3): Transfusion, thrombosis, and hemostasis (2016 competition)

The Blood & Clots Series is an online curriculum dedicated to the management of bleeding and thrombosis with transfusion medicine as a central concept. Housed on CanadiEM, this series of online educational resources focuses on some of the most difficult dilemmas we face in medicine today: how to manage patients who are bleeding, clotting, or both. The resources have been designed with ER doctors and front-line/primary care physicians in mind.  

The curriculum is based on a needs assessment that will be published shortly and is written by a team of hematology faculty from across Canada.

 

Blood and Clots Massive Transfusion Protocol

Screenshot of the Blood and Clots Massive Transfusion Protocole resource hosted on CanadiEM.

A chat with Dr. Andrew Shih about the project during ISBT 2018 congress in Toronto.

An innovative digital strategy for dissemination of Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations in transfusion medicine (2017 competition)

A series of short, entertaining and informative animated videos to inform healthcare professionals of the Choosing Wisely Canada transfusion recommendations and promote safer blood transfusion. View all videos.

 

Choosing Wisely Canada Transfusion recommendation #9 - Don’t transfuse O-negative blood except to -

Screenshot of the video illustrating the Choosing Wisely CanadaTransfusion recommendation #9 - Don't transfuse O-negative blood except to.

A chat with Dr. Clinton Cambpell about the project during ISBT 2018 congress in Toronto.

The Stem Cell Club: Educating Medical Students about Stem Cell Transplantation (2015 and 2016 competitions)

A club of national scope that trains medical students to advocate for patients in need of stem cell transplant, and to develop leadership and teamwork skills. We instruct them to secure informed consent and to identify and correct medical errors.

Stem Cell Club

Warren Fingrut (left), Cassandra DeLuka of Canadian Blood Services’
OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network (centre-right) along with two
UBC medical students at a "May the swab be with you" recruitment event in 2014. 
(Photo courtesy of Warren Fingrut)    

Snippets - Watch & Learn Job Aids (2014 competition)

Five minute interactive videos that offer front line providers and technologists with meaningful and current clinical knowledge related around the following seven areas :

  1. Patient identification when collecting pre-transfusion sample.
  2. Patient identification and transfusion pre-checks required prior to the administration of blood components or plasma protein products.
  3. Pre-transfusion testing including ABO grouping, Antiboby screening and crossmatching.
  4. Emergency blood administration.
  5. Transfusion reactions (respiratory complications related to transfusion).
  6. Post-production modification of blood components (washing and irradiation of red cell, platelet, and plasma units).
  7. Thawing frozen blood products.

Better blood transfusion: Neonatal and pediatric patients (2014)

The Transfusion Safety Nurse Clinician at BC Children’s and Women’s hospitals created three e-Learning Transfusion Practice Educational Modules around the following themes:

  1. Administration of blood products: Neonatal – Syringe method; Pediatric – Syringe and volumetric method; Adult – Volumetric method.
  2. Transport of blood products.
  3. Pre-transfusion sample collection.

To access the modules, go to the Learning Hub site, create an account or sign on as a guest, and search for the modules.

We had the opportunity to chat with Clare O'Reilly about her project at the ISBT congress in Toronto in June 2018.

Transfusion Confusion: an inter-professional learning module  (2014 competition)

Transfusion Confusion is a learning module developed to introduce concepts of pretransfusion testing and transfusion practice and to explore concepts of interprofessional collaboration. Delivered via the University of Alberta’s learning platform, this module focuses on the importance of patient identification, specimen suitability, and team issues such as communication, collaboration, role clarification and reflection. Currently, this course can only be accessed by University of Alberta students. However, the intent is to eventually provide access to members of the general public. 

Transfusion Bits and Bytes (2011 competition)

Short videos intended for general Medical Laboratory Technologists working in Transfusion Medicine Services addressing the following themes:

  1. Transfusion Reaction Overview
  2. Acute Transfusion Reactions
  3. Case Studies of Acute Transfusion Reactions
  4. Delayed Transfusion Reaction and Case Studies
  5. Quality Management Systems
  6. Root Cause Analysis

Passing the Serology Torch (2011 competition)

A speaker-series of 11 presentations on serology targeted at Transfusion Medicine Medical Lab Technologists.

Transfusion Quest (2011 competition)

An online Trivia game for Transfusion Medicine Medical Lab Technologists.