Validation of a standardized donor health questionnaire across substances of human origin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A donor health questionnaire (DHQ) aims to ensure the safety of donors and recipients of transfusions or transplantations with blood components, plasma-derived medicinal products, tissues, haematopoietic stem cells and medically assisted reproduction (in short substances of human origin; SoHO). Currently, many different DHQs exist across countries and SoHO. TRANSPOSE (TRANSfusion and transplantation PrOtection and SElection of donors) developed and validated a standardized DHQ to use across countries and SoHO. We tested whether participants understand the questions and provide honest answers. METHODS: For the validation of the standardized DHQ, two demographically representative online surveys were conducted in Germany (N = 3329) and Austria (N = 3432). We surveyed whether participants understood each DHQ question and would answer the questions truthfully. We used experimental settings to test whether there is a difference between mode of administration (print vs. online), the order of the questions (subject vs. chronological order), and the positioning of the general state of health question (beginning vs. end) in the DHQ. Using regression models, we tested the DHQ's impact on participant mood after completion and on socially desirable response behaviour. RESULTS: Participants understood the DHQ questions well and would answer them honestly. Nevertheless, the data show different levels of understanding and honesty when responding. Administration mode was the only characteristic that had a significant influence on mood, with the online version resulting in a more favourable mood in comparison to the printed version. CONCLUSION: The DHQ was well understood and had a low dishonest tendency. Our findings can serve as an impulse for further research on DHQ criteria across other SoHO and countries.

The impact of COVID-19 on blood donations.

During a crisis, society calls for individuals to take prosocial actions that promote crisis management. Indeed, individuals show higher willingness to help after a disaster. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presents significant differences as it is an ongoing crisis that affects all individuals and has the potential to pose a direct health threat to anyone. Therefore, we propose that the pandemic may also negatively affect willingness to help, specifically blood donation intentions. It requires a high level of willingness to donate blood beyond the crisis outbreak, as more blood will be needed when postponed surgeries resume. When comparing blood donation intentions from a pre-pandemic study to results from a six-wave (bi-weekly) panel study conducted in Germany during the first pandemic phase (April to June 2020), we find lower medium and long-term blood donation intentions. While active donors show increased awareness of ability and eligibility to donate at the beginning of the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic, they feel significantly less able to donate as the pandemic progresses. Furthermore, inactive donors' perceived ability to donate significantly decreases in the pandemic phase compared to the pre-pandemic phase. Crucially, both active and inactive donors feel less responsible and less morally obliged to donate, resulting in an overall negative pandemic effect on blood donation intentions. The COVID-19 pandemic compromises blood donations endangering the life-saving blood supply. These alarming results offer evidence-based grounds for practical implications for driving donations in the event of a pandemic.

The role of affect, satisfaction and internal drive on personal moral norms during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Societies require prosocial activities during crises. The COVID-19 pandemic presents individuals with unique challenges that may affect their emotional state leading to reformed personal moral norms. Crucially, personal moral norms are important predictors of moral behaviour. Given the longevity of the pandemic, studying its impact on affect, satisfaction and internal drive of (non-)donors during COVID-19 and if personal moral norms are affected is paramount. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study relies on longitudinal data, consisting of six waves carried out biweekly. Our panel is representative for the German population, capturing changes in affect, satisfaction, internal drive and personal moral norms. We compare the emotional state and personal moral norms of (non-)donors in the pandemic to pre-pandemic phase. Moreover, we analyse changes in emotional state and personal moral norms during the pandemic and investigate the role of emotional state on personal moral norms. RESULTS: Firstly, our results show that personal moral norms of (non-)donors drop compared to pre-pandemic. Within pandemic, personal moral norms of active donors are not further altered. Secondly, we find significant changes of emotional state in the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic phase, for example individuals feel more optimistic, but less satisfied and less energetic. Thirdly, we find that feeling more grateful increases personal moral norms of non-donors. CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into how crises shape (non-)donors' emotional state and its impact on relevant donor motivations, that is, personal moral norms. Blood banks can use this knowledge to enhance recruiting and retention efforts during crises.