Questionnaire-Related Deferrals in Regular Blood Donors in Norway

Abstract

Voluntary donation is a key issue in transfusion medicine. To ensure the safety of blood transfusions, careful donor selection is important. Although new approaches to blood safety have dramatically reduced the risks for infectious contamination of blood components, the quality and the availability of blood components depend on the willingness to donate and the reliability of the information given by the donors about their own health, including risk behavior. As donors who are deferred by the blood bank will be less motivated to return for donation, it is important to reduce the number of deferrals. The aims of the present study were to investigate the reasons for deferral of registered donors coming to the blood bank for donation, in order to identify areas of importance for donor education—as these deferrals potentially could be avoided by better donor comprehension. Deferral related to testing of donors is not included in this study as these deferrals are dependent on laboratory results and cannot be indentified by questionnaire or interview. Data were collected from all blood donors in a period for 18 months who came for blood donation at a large university hospital in Norway. 1 163 of the 29 787 regular donors, who showed up for donation, were deferred (3.9%). The main reasons were intercurrent illness (n = 182) (15.6%), skin ulcers (n = 170) (14.6%), and risk behaviour (n = 127) (10.9%). In a community, intercurrent illnesses, skin ulcers, and potential risk behavior are the most frequent reasons for deferral of regular donors. Strategized effort on donor education is needed, as “failure to donate” reduces donor motivation.

Analysis of Reasons for Prospective Blood Donor Deferrals at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex Blood Collection Centre, in Trinidad and Tobago

“…This study shows similar results to the Indian (Jashnani et al [5] and Shar et al [2]), (hypertension among people of East Indian descent), and the West African (low haemoglobin) [6,7], studies. Like in the Norwegian study, (Reikvam et al [1], intercurrent illnesses were seen too but at a smaller percentage in comparison. Some deferrals in this study are not for reasons that would potentially endanger the recipient and can actually be avoided.…”

“…From the screening process, prospective donors may be permanently or temporarily deferred. Those who are temporarily deferred may be less enthusiastic to return though [1]. Hence knowledge by prospective donors, of reasons for temporary deferral reduces the rate of these unfruitful visits to the blood bank.…”

“…The voluntary donor, who is an unpaid and a regular donor, has the least risk of having transfusion-transmittable infections [1,5]. This is the best donor in order to meet blood demands.…”

“…This is the best donor in order to meet blood demands. Hakon Reikvam, et al [1], in their study in Norway, a European setting, where the donors are in fact regular voluntary donors, showed that a high number of deferrals were due to an inter-current illness. Other reasons included some that would actually not put the health of the recipient of blood in any danger at all as reported by Custer et al [4].…”

Knowledge and Perceptions of Blood Safety among Blood Donors in Kelantan, Malaysia

“…Furthermore, it is noteworthy that less than one third of the respondents were aware that high-risk behaviours such as multiple sexual partners, male homosexual relationships, bisexual relationships and illegal intravenous drug usage would lead to a permanent deferral of blood donations. In a study conducted in Norway, approximately 10% of 127 repeat donors were denied the opportunity to donate blood due to drug abuse, while 2% of the repeat donors were permanently deferred as they were in male homosexual relationships (21). Another study in Japan reported that 23 of 5,585 blood donors were deferred due to unsafe sexual practices or drug abuse (22).…”