Vigilance: An alertness to, or awareness of serious adverse occurrences (events or reactions) related to donation and clinical application of blood, cells, tissues and organs involving an established process at a local, regional, national or international level for reporting and investigation.
Surveillance: The systematic on-going collection, collation and analysis of data for public health purposes and the timely dissemination of this.
Vigilance and surveillance (V&S) is a safeguard for donors, patients, health professionals and health authorities. The introduction of V&S systems facilitates the monitoring of adverse occurrences leading to preventive and corrective measures and an overall improvement in safety, as demonstrated by the impact of haemovigilance on transfusion services, donor care and patient and donor safety.