Motivations and deterrents of blood donation among blood donors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong

Barriers to Engaging in Blood Donation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Nondonors and Lapsed Donors in a Chinese Community: A Critical Medical Anthropology Perspective

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a major challenge to maintaining a stable blood supply. In Hong Kong, the percentage of eligible donors who donated blood dropped from 2.7% before the pandemic to 2.34% and 2% during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored barriers to blood donation among nondonors and lapsed donors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A critical medical anthropology framework and a qualitative descriptive design were used. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted individually between February and July 2021 in Hong Kong with 80 adults aged 19-65 years who were nondonors or who had previously donated blood but had lapsed from doing so.

RESULTS

The participants who did not donate blood during the pandemic reported multiple reasons that arose during the pandemic and before it. The decision to not donate is sometimes the outcome of a social process established before the pandemic. Although institutional infection control and quarantine policies were most relevant for nondonation during the pandemic, policy and structural factors intertwined and created new social and cultural ideals that demotivated participants from donating blood. The difficult relationship between mainland China and Hong Kong as well as participants' unpleasant experiences with personnel in donor centres served as underlying barriers before the pandemic.

DISCUSSION

The decision not to donate during the pandemic cannot be explained by pandemic factors alone. Although the participants' sense of being a 'good citizen' arising from the new social norms developed in the pandemic at the intermediate level (quarantine policy) and the macro-level social structure (collective responsibility) had affected their micro-level perceptions (blood donation as unnecessary and risky and healthcare personnel as dangerous), their experiences at different social levels preceded the pandemic had played an important embedding role in reinforcing their nondonation during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

To enhance the motivation to donate blood among nondonors and lapsed donors, merely addressing the barriers arising from the pandemic is inadequate. Prepandemic factors should also be addressed.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The participants shared their experiences in the interviews. All participants had read and confirmed the content of their transcripts and referred more participants for this study.

Psychological Determinants of Blood Donation During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hungary

The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on blood donations worldwide. The present study aims to empirically investigate the determinants of willingness to donate blood during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary. Methods Our study was carried out on 418 whole blood donors (286 women, 68.4%) using data collection from the online and paper self-report questionnaire data collection. We evaluated the association between motivation, self-efficacy, and technical and emotional barriers to donation. Results The correlational analysis showed that the number of donations during the COVID-19 pandemic was positively associated with the total number of donations; habit and identity motivation; and blood donation self-efficacy. In contrast, a negative association has been found with perceived barriers during the pandemic. The path model confirmed that the number of donations during the pandemic can be explained by the donors' habit and identity motivation facilitated by the experienced blood donation self-efficacy. The number of total donations also predicted the donations during COVID-19. Conclusion These findings suggest that high donor self-efficacy is associated with habitual donation and the need to reinforce donor identity, which may again positively influence the number of donations. These factors contribute to the continued willingness to donate and result in a stable blood supply even during a health crisis or other societal challenges. Our research fits into a series of studies that draw the attention of blood donation professionals to the importance of identifying and maintaining a motivational background, increasing self-efficacy, and removing barriers to blood donation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12288-024-01867-y.

Donors in the COVID-19 era: How did donor characteristics change in Japan?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to the blood service in Japan. Stay-at-home policies in schools, organizations and companies made it challenging to access potential blood donors, leading to a substantial decline in blood donation rates. This study aimed to examine the profile of blood donors during the pandemic and compare it with that in the pre-pandemic period.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Blood donors who contributed to the Japanese Red Cross Blood Services between April 2018 and March 2021 were evaluated based on age, gender, occupation, donation site, height, body weight (BW) and donation status (first-time [FT] or repeat). Factors influencing the return of FT donors who contributed before and during the pandemic were also explored.

RESULTS

During the initial phase of the pandemic, a significant decrease in blood donations was observed, particularly in Tokyo. Despite intermittent drops, the required blood volume was ultimately collected. Donations by both female and male repeat donors increased, although the number of male repeat donors decreased, with only female repeat donors experiencing an absolute increase. Before the pandemic, younger age, 200-mL donation, higher body mass index and fixed donation sites were significantly associated with FT donor returns. During the pandemic, higher age (for males) and 400-mL donation (for females) emerged as significant factors. With changes in donor profiles during the pandemic, there was a noticeable shift in the characteristics of FT donors who returned for a subsequent donation within the following year, particularly in terms of age and blood donation volume.

CONCLUSION

Despite the challenges, the required blood volume was successfully collected, thanks to increased donations from repeat blood donors. Recruiting and retaining committed donors is essential for maintaining sustainable blood services, especially during crisis situations.

Applying behavioral change theories to optimize pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD patients: A review

This review meticulously evaluates the integration of behavioral change theories into pulmonary rehabilitation programs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management, addressing the critical need for enhanced patient compliance and improved therapeutic outcomes. With COPD posing significant global health challenges, characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates, the manuscript underscores the potential of Self-Determination Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, the Transtheoretical Model, the Health Belief Model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior to foster meaningful health behavior changes among patients. Through a comprehensive literature analysis, it reveals how each model contributes to understanding patient behaviors in pulmonary rehabilitation contexts, advocating for their systematic application to craft more effective, patient-centered interventions. Despite the proven efficacy of these theories in various health domains, their current underutilization in pulmonary rehabilitation underscores a gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. The review calls for an interdisciplinary approach that bridges this gap, highlighting the urgency of developing actionable, theory-based behavioral intervention plans. By doing so, it aims to advance COPD management strategies, ultimately improving the quality of life for individuals living with this debilitating disease.

The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood donation and supply in China

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp decline in blood donation which posed a serious threat to the clinical blood supply worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood donation and supply in China on a nationwide level.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of the published literature was performed using eight databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Ovid, Embase, CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP by searching relevant words combinations.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies were determined to be eligible and included. Among them, 21 studies reported the situation of blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The donation of both whole blood and platelet concentrates declined (with a decline of 5%-86% for whole blood and 3%-34% for platelet concentrates), with this especially evident in February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the pattern of blood donation and the composition of blood donors accordingly. Fifteen articles reported the supply of various blood components during the COVID-19 pandemic. The supply and usage of both packed red blood cell (PRBC) and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) decreased (with a decrease of 4%-40% for PRBC and 9%-58% for FFP). The proportion of blood transfusions in different departments changed too. Compared to 2019, there was a decrease in surgical blood transfusions, and an increase in that used in treatments performed in emergency and internal medicine departments.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an overall reduction of blood transfusion activities in most cities in China, in particular blood donations and blood demands.

Association Between Concerns About COVID-19 Infection and Blood Donation Intention: Cross-Sectional Survey Study Through a Mobile Communication Platform

BACKGROUND

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on blood transfusion and collection. At the beginning of the pandemic, most blood transfusion services had a tough challenge in maintaining an optimal blood inventory.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to understand the public's psychological cognition and intention toward blood donation as well as the factors influencing their worries. We aimed to find a solution for increasing blood donations and provide a scientific reference for policy formulation regarding blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.

METHODS

A random survey with a 14-item scale on worries related to blood donation was conducted from December 31, 2022, to January 3, 2023, among residents aged 18-60 years in Zhejiang province via SMS text messaging. The results of 8 worry items in this study were compared with the survey results of March 2022, during which COVID-19 was not considered as an epidemic in Zhejiang province. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to analyze the factors affecting respondents' blood donation intention and concerns. The degree of worry about blood donation was assigned from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree), and 2-sided t tests were performed to analyze the differences in blood donation intention and worries about blood donation.

RESULTS

In total, 1254 valid questionnaire responses were obtained. Males accounted for 62.36% (782/1254) of the sample, 78.39% (983/1254) were 18-45 years old, 60.61% (760/1254) had a university education, and 69.06% (866/1254) had no previous blood donation experience. Approximately 36.52% (458/1254) of the public clearly expressed that they had blood donation worries regarding COVID-19. The main concerns of the respondents were temporary physical weakness caused by blood donation, their own physical conditions not meeting the requirements of blood donation, inconvenient location and working hours for blood donation, and family (or friends) worrying about blood donation. Compared with the results in 2022, the results in 2023 regarding the harmful effects of blood donation on health, temporary physical weakness, infection in donated blood, and family (friends) worrying increased significantly (P<.001). The factors influencing blood donation worries regarding COVID-19 were COVID-19 infection status, adverse reactions to the donated blood, family (or friends) worrying, and unsatisfactory blood donation experience. The factors influencing blood donation intention were gender, age, previous blood donation times, blood donation worries regarding COVID-19, harmful effects of blood donation on health, and blood donation anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Blood transfusion services should make full use of the recovery phase of COVID-19 infection as an important time point, publicize the blood donation process and operation standardization, reduce the public's concerns about blood donation, correct negative evaluations, and increase perceived behavioral control and subjective norms.