Blood donation motivators and barriers reported by young, first-time whole blood donors: Examining the association of reported motivators and barriers with subsequent donation behavior and potential sex, race, and ethnic group differences

Breaking down barriers: Recruiting donors of African ancestry in Ireland

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The diversity of the donor pool has an impact on blood provision for patients with inherited blood disorders, such as sickle cell anaemia. Many patients are critically dependent on red cell transfusions and due to uneven antigen distribution among different ethnic groups, they are at high risk of red cell alloimmunization. The aims of the present study were to understand the motivators and barriers to young Black Irish people donating blood, to explore the views of older Black individuals who were previously excluded but may now be eligible to donate following the recent changes to donor screening, and lastly, to make recommendations for future campaigns that appeal to the Irish Black community.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Online focus groups with people of African Ancestry living in Ireland were conducted (n = 6 focus groups, n = 47 participants). A semi-structured format was adopted. The focus group transcripts were analysed to identify the key themes expressed.

RESULTS

The main barriers to blood donation were (i) personal beliefs, (ii) distrust of healthcare organizations, (iii) previous negative donation experiences, (iv) a lack of basic information and (v) replacement donation. Motivators to donate blood included (i) altruism, (ii) Black representation, (iii) targeted information, (iv) helping the Black community and (v) building trust.

CONCLUSION

Blood donor recruitment among the Irish Black community should be informed by an understanding of the varied attitudes to blood donation and the current social norms within Irish African communities. Ireland is a modern multicultural society and its blood donor pool should strive to reflect this diversity.

Engaging blood donors as advocates: Social media preferences and associations with marketing stimuli

BACKGROUND

Various critical medical procedures would become impossible without blood donations-saving lives in emergencies, surgeries, and chronic conditions like thalassemia. Therefore, it seems crucial to enhance donor recruitment and ensure blood supply. For this, we rate donor motivations and explore associations between donors' engagement with marketing stimuli and willingness to participate in donor recruitment. To help design tailored marketing strategies, this study examines age-specific social media preferences for promoting blood donation.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

To reach these objectives, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with 907 donors at Israeli blood-donation centers. Data on donation motivations, social media preferences, and willingness to recruit others were collected through a structured questionnaire.

RESULTS

The leading motivators for blood donation were solidarity and marketing stimuli. The results also revealed a significant association between donors' engagement with marketing stimuli and willingness to encourage others to donate blood. The channel preferred by donors of all age groups for promoting blood donation content was WhatsApp. The choice of other social media varied significantly by age. While younger donors (18-30) favored Instagram, other donor age groups (31-50; 51+) preferred Facebook. Based on average values, the most popular social media for promoting blood donation content were WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

DISCUSSION

Insights from this research can support blood collection agencies in refining marketing strategies for donor recruitment. For maximizing the reach of recruitment efforts, it seems essential to use various social media based on donors' age groups.

An ecosystem of interconnected technologies to increase efficiencies in blood establishments: The example of the Blood and Tissue Bank of Aragón, Spain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Blood establishments face environmental, financial, demographic and societal challenges that may impair sustainable blood supply to patients. This study presents the technologies (devices and software) assembled in a global ecosystem implemented by the Blood and Tissue Bank of Aragón (BTBA), Spain, over the last decade to overcome these challenges.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Descriptive yearly activity data (2013-2023) of BTBA were retrospectively collected to evaluate the impact of different technologies on blood processing efficiency, focusing on the production of blood components (red blood cell concentrates [RCCs], platelet concentrates [PCs]) and plasma. Operator satisfaction about the technologies introduced in daily routine work was also monitored.

RESULTS

Between 2013 and 2023, the annual production decreased by 16.0% for RCCs and increased by 13.3% for PCs. From 2020, all PCs were treated with pathogen reduction technology, and no inventory stock-out was reported. The lowest PC expiry rate (0.2%) was observed after the implementation of the software for blood processing and PC stock management. The deployment of this software also improved plasma recovery: on average, an extra plasma volume of 9 mL was collected per donation in 2023 compared to 2015. A survey confirmed staff satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

The progressive implementation of automated and software-based solutions was key to increasing efficiencies in BTBA. This enabled the optimization of blood processing by maximizing productivity, enhancing traceability, reducing overproduction and wastage and increasing the yield of recovered plasma, while ensuring blood product safety and staff satisfaction.

A rapid review of motives and barriers for living substance of human origin donation and an extended typology

Our objective is to review motives and barriers for non-reproductive, living substance of human origin (SoHO) donation, and to extend existing typologies beyond blood. The expansion of SoHO collection is currently unmatched by increased living donors. Thus, there is a critical need to understand how to effectively recruit and retain donors to ensure a sustainable supply of SoHO. We undertook a rapid review and narrative synthesis of published, peer-reviewed literature reporting on motives and/or barriers for living SoHO donation (whole-blood, blood products [2009-2023], bone marrow/stem cells, cord blood, organ, human breast milk, intestinal microbiota [2000-2023]). Results were interpreted through directed qualitative content analysis using an extended typology of motives/barriers largely drawn from blood donation research, and subsequently refined based on results to be inclusive of other SoHO. 234 articles with 237 studies met review criteria. Most were quantitative (74.3%), conducted in Western countries (63.8%), focused on blood donation (64.2%), reported motives and barriers (51.9%) and did not examine differences by donor characteristics or history (74%). We present a revised typology inclusive of motives/barriers for donation of substances beyond blood. This shows while broader motives and barriers are shared across substances donated, there are critical differences at the subcategory level that may account for heterogeneity in results of prior interventions. The nuances in how broad categories of motives and barriers manifest across different SoHO are critical for blood collection agencies to consider as they attempt to expand collection of products beyond whole-blood, plasma, and platelets. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC?: Blood collection agencies (BCAs) continue to expand SoHO product collection beyond whole-blood, plasma, and platelets. The demand for SoHO is currently unmatched by increased living donors. The need to understand how to recruit new and retain existing living donors to ensure a sustainable supply of SoHO remains critical. However, there is no available synthesis of the factors, such as motives/facilitators and barriers/deterrents, to inform our understanding. WHAT IS NEW?: Comprehensively reviewed evidence for motives and barriers of willing/actual donors and nondonors across all types of non-reproductive living SoHO donation. Explored variations in motives and barriers based on substance, donor history and demographic differences (gender, age, ethnicity or culture). Extended typology of motives and barriers inclusive of all non-reproductive living SoHO, beyond solely whole-blood and blood products. Identified that while there are commonalities in the overarching motive and barrier categories across substances (e.g., prosocial motivation, low self-efficacy), within these broader constructs there are differences at the subcategory level (e.g., low-self efficacy was about eligibility, lifestyle barriers, or lack/loss of financial or material resources depending on the substance donated) that are crucial for development of future interventions and for BCAs to consider as they expand SoHO product collection. Highlighted the continued focus on motives and barriers for whole-blood and blood product donation to the exclusion of other, particularly newer, SoHO; lack of qualitative work for newer SoHO; and lack of consideration of differences based on donor characteristics (especially ethnicity/culture) and donor history, which limits our understanding. WHAT ARE THE KEY QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE WORK ON THE TOPIC?: What are the motives and barriers (in both qualitative and quantitative studies) for donation of newer SoHO such as stem cells, cord blood, human milk, and intestinal microbiota? Are there differences in motives and barriers within and across SoHO that are informed by individual and contextual-level factors? How can we develop interventions that respond to the nuances of motives and barriers present across different forms of SoHO that are effective in encouraging new and maintaining continuing donors?

Neighborhood ethnic density and disparities in proximal blood donation opportunities

BACKGROUND

Despite being the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States, Hispanic/Latinos (H/L) are significantly underrepresented among blood donors. A lack of proximal blood donation opportunities may be one factor contributing to these disparities. However, few studies have investigated this possibility.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Proprietary data on mobile blood collections in Maricopa County, Arizona, were gathered for the period of January 01, 2022 to April 30, 2022 and paired with census tract information using ArcGIS. Maricopa County encompasses the city of Phoenix with a total population of approximately 4.5 million people, including 1.5 million H/L residents. Blood drive count was regressed on H/L ethnic density and total population, and model estimates were exponentiated to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

During the specified period, approximately 27,000 red blood cell units were collected through mobile drives. Consistent with expectations, when controlling for total neighborhood population, each 10% increase in H/L ethnic density lowered the odds of having a blood drive in the corresponding neighborhood by 12% (OR = 0.88, 95% CI (0.83, 0.92), p < .001).

DISCUSSION

These findings provide initial evidence of fewer proximal donation opportunities in areas with greater H/L population density which may contribute to H/L underrepresentation in blood donation and the need for more inclusive collection efforts. Improved access to blood collection is modifiable and could help to increase the overall blood supply, enhance the ability to successfully match specific blood antigen needs of an increasingly diverse population, and bring about a more resilient blood system.

Sociodemographic Profile of Blood Donations and Ways to Encourage Them

INTRODUCTION

Maintaining blood stocks in Brazil faces challenges; hence, it is crucial to develop effective strategies to recruit and retain donors, such as campaigns and social marketing programs to raise awareness, but there is a lack of studies about the donators' profiles, as well as their barriers or incentives.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyze the characteristics of donors and the factors that influence their decisions.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study carried out between April and November 2022 using a structured questionnaire sent through a community created on Facebook, addressing common people over 18 years old, containing closed questions, supported by Google Forms. Statistical analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 17 (Released 2008; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) and the Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, with p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The sample relied on 1019 participants, women (72.8%), age group > 30 years (81.1%), the most represented blood type was O positive (37.5%), and men donated more frequently than women (76.5% vs. 40.6%). The main reasons for not donating are medical conditions (39.7%) and lack of time (33.8%). The main reasons for donating are helping voluntarily (97.6%) and donating to family/friends (96.4%).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant difference between the genders of blood donors, with more men donating, especially those over 30 years old, and with income between 1-8 minimum wages. The main barriers to donating are lack of time and information. Based on this, it is possible to target campaigns at women, young people, and people with income above nine minimum wages. The main reasons for donating are altruism, obtaining test results, and financial benefits.

Knowledge, Attitude, Motivators, and Barriers to Blood Donation Among Adults in Al-Qunfudah Governorate, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Blood transfusion is one of the most important aspects of managing patients with a variety of medical disorders like thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. Despite this fact, many Saudis hesitate to donate blood and do not know whether blood banks need blood.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, motivators, and barriers to blood donation among adults in Al-Qunfudah governorate, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on a convenience sample of 416 adults living in Al-Qunfudah governorate and its dependence, using an online self-administered questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed statistically using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA).

RESULTS

Among 416 respondents, exactly 232 (55.8%) had overall good knowledge regarding blood donation, and 334 (80.3%) positively perceived it. The best knowledge about blood donation was detected among those aged 21-24 years (p = 0.012), males (p = 0.008), university-educated (p = 0.048), having a government job (p = 0.001), and having a history of donating blood (p = 0.001). The motivators included religious motives (88.2%, n = 367), feelings of self-satisfaction (63.2%, n = 263), and restoring blood circulation (56.7%, n = 236). Barriers to blood donation were fear of being infected (27.6%, n = 115), needle phobia (23.6%, n = 98), fear of general weakness (22.8%, n = 95), didn't know how to donate (16.8%, n = 70), and fear of seeing blood (13.2%, n = 55).

CONCLUSION

Although adults in the Al-Qunfudah governorate of Saudi Arabia had positive attitudes toward blood donation, they possessed inadequate knowledge about it. Being younger, male, university-educated, having government jobs, and having a past history of donating blood were factors associated with good knowledge of blood donation. The most common motivators were religious, financial, and maintaining health. However, fear of infection, needle sticks, fear of pain, and hemophobia were the recorded barriers. Public health education is recommended to tackle public concerns regarding blood donation and present its benefits.

The use of mixed reality technology within the donor collection experience

BACKGROUND

Mixed reality (MR), a form of virtual reality (VR), provides an immersive and interactive experience for the user. Given VR's benefits in patients undergoing needle insertion procedures, MR's usability, impact on anxiety, and safety were evaluated in the blood donation setting.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Whole blood donors ≥18 years old (yo) were enrolled at two blood centers and provided a MR headset with independently developed software to wear during blood donation. Pre- and post-donation questionnaires were conducted, and reaction data were reviewed. A post-study questionnaire was also completed by staff who assisted donors with MR. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multinomial logistic regression were performed, and p values determined statistical significance between variables.

RESULTS

A total of 282 donors completed the study. 84% wanted to try MR because it seemed fun/different/cool/interesting, and most staff (69%) and donors (68%) found MR easy to use. Baseline subjective anxiety, reported by 50.3% (more often in females, first-time donors, and donors <20 yo), was reduced by MR in 68.4% of donors, and there was a 3.6 times higher odds of anxiety reduction with MR. 54% of donors with baseline anxiety would use MR again with the highest future interest in young donors. Donor reactions while using MR were mild and included pre-faint reactions and hematomas.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the potential of MR in reducing donor anxiety, its feasibility during blood donation, and its safety in blood donors. MR is an innovative technology that holds promise to increase donor engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

Advancing Understandings of Blood Donation Motivation and Behavior

In this review, we provide critical analysis of social science research into blood donation motivation and behavior. We first share an understanding of the existing literature and recommendations for future research collectively developed by members of the Working Group on Blood Donors and the Supply: Diversifying while Maintaining the Donor Pool, Donor Selection, and Optimizing Blood Availability and Safety, as part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's 2022 State of the Science in Transfusion Medicine symposium. Then, rather than aim for a comprehensive treatment, we review 4 newer manuscripts that exemplify aspects of the group's recommendations and report results from countries where the blood supply is based on voluntary, nonremunerated donations. From the substantial existing literature, we selected: (1) a study that employed motivational interviewing techniques, thematic analysis, and surveys to link donation motivations and barriers reported by diverse young donors in the United States to actual donation behavior over a year of subsequent eligibility; (2) a survey regarding donation motivations and barriers and monetary amounts associated with willingness to participate in whole blood, plasma, or platelet collection; (3) a survey-based assessment of various emotional states reported by donors at 2 time points during donation and the relationship between emotional experience and subsequent vasovagal reactions; and (4) an interpretive discourse analysis of blood collection agency messaging to donors and the public in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We close by noting several challenges posed by the structure of the United States blood system and the current funding environment to conducting rigorous research and translating findings into practice.