Influence of Gender and Previous Blood Donation Status on Attitude Toward Blood Donation: a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Blood supply shortage may affect the health of patients who are transfusion-dependent. Consequently, blood donation plays an important role in the community as it can provide sufficient blood supply at blood bank centers. Medical sciences students can help promote blood donation. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge on, attitude toward, and barriers on blood donation among medical sciences students at the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: An online questionnaire with 23 knowledge and attitude questions was established using Google Forms. Statistical analysis was performed based on gender and blood donation status (never donated, unable to donate, and donated blood). RESULTS: In total, 601 participants from six different departments responded to the questionnaire. Interestingly, female students had a higher rate of accurate responses toward the knowledge and attitude questions than male students (p < 0.01). Furthermore, students who previously donated had a higher rate of accurate responses to the questions than those who were not able to or never donated blood (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire was designed to assess the general knowledge and attitude of medical sciences students and barriers on blood donation. Female gender and a history of blood donation had a significant impact on responses. Therefore, more efforts are required to educate students regarding the importance of blood donation among patients who are transfusion-dependent.

"I am the one taking care of her and donating blood": lived experiences of role-routines of hospital-based informal caregiving in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: Informal caregivers (ICs) in Africa perform a long list of tasks to support hospitalization care. However, available studies are weak in accounting for the experiences of everyday role-routines of hospital-based informal caregiving (HIC) in under-resourced settings. This article explored the experiences of role-routines among informal caregivers in a Nigerian tertiary health facility. METHODS: The ethnographic exploratory study relied on primary data collected from 75 participants, including 21 ICs, 15 inpatients, 36 hospital staff, and 3 ad-hoc/paid carers in a tertiary health facility in Southwestern Nigeria. RESULTS: ICs perform several essential roles for hospitalized relatives, with each role characterized by a range of tasks. An integrative narrative of everyday routines of HIC as experienced by ICs showed critical complexities and complications involved in seemingly simple tasks of assisting hospitalized relatives with hygiene maintenance, medical investigations, blood donation, resource mobilization, errand-running, patient- and self-care and others. The role-routines are burdensome and ICs' experiences of them revealed the undercurrents of how health systems dysfunctions condition family members to support hospitalization care in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The intensity and repetitive nature of role-routines is suggestive of "routinization of suffering". We recommend the closing of gaps driving hospital-based informal caregiving in Africa's under-resourced settings.

Attitude towards blood donation and its associated factors, types of blood donation, willingness, and feeling towards blood donation among potential blood donors in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis, observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Blood donation is crucial for certain populations, such as pregnant mothers, anemic patients, traumatized patients, and individuals undergoing surgery. The imbalance between the number of blood donors and the demand for blood in Ethiopia is a serious public health concern. Having a favorable attitude towards blood donation could aid in correcting this imbalance. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the proportion of favorable attitudes, types of blood donation, willingness, and feelings towards blood donation in Ethiopia. METHODS: Several databases were searched to retrieve the available articles. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using the Galbraith plot with Cochrane I2 statistics and funnel plot with Egger's test, respectively. Subgroup analysis was done to identify the cause of the substantial heterogeneity. RESULT: The pooled prevalence of favorable attitudes about blood donation was 65.28% (60.10-70.47). A higher prevalence was reported among studies conducted after 2020, in Northern Ethiopia and among health care professionals: 72.66%, 68.45%, and 69.41%, respectively. The percentages of people who had good feelings, willing to donate, and encouraged others to donate are 83.99%, 74.23%, and 77.96%, respectively. Conversely, 42.84% of participants believe that risk will happen following donation. There was an association between knowledge and attitude towards blood donation (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.48-2.99). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may imply the preparation of a blood donation campaign that helps the community. Concerned bodies from governmental and non-governmental organizations may arrange and design community education, which may increase the number of voluntary donors.

A virtual reality paradigm simulating blood donation serves as a platform to test interventions to promote donation.

Effective interventions that support blood donor retention are needed. Yet, integrating an intervention into the time-pressed and operationally sensitive context of a blood donation center requires justification for disruptions to an optimized process. This research provides evidence that virtual reality (VR) paradigms can serve as a research environment in which interventions can be tested prior to being delivered in blood donation centers. Study 1 (N = 48) demonstrated that 360°-video VR blood donation environments elicit a similar profile of emotional experience to a live donor center. Presence and immersion were high, and cybersickness symptoms low. Study 2 (N = 134) was an experiment deploying the 360°-video VR environments to test the impact of an intervention on emotional experience and intentions to donate. Participants in the intervention condition who engaged in a suite of tasks drawn from the process model of emotion regulation (including attentional deployment, positive reappraisal, and response modulation) reported more positive emotion than participants in a control condition, which in turn increased intentions to donate blood. By showing the promise for benefitting donor experience via a relatively low-cost and low-resource methodology, this research supports the use of VR paradigms to trial interventions prior to deployment in operationally-context field settings.

Voluntary blood donation preferences in China: A discrete choice experiment among experienced and inexperienced donors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due partly to an ageing population, China faces an increasingly dire blood shortage crisis requiring greater voluntary blood donations. A better understanding of blood donation preferences can inform blood donation policies and potentially increase donations. We used an online survey and discrete choice experiment to achieve our study objective: identify the most influential structural facilitators and barriers to voluntary blood donation in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, we identified six structural attributes (travel time, venue, donation volume, paid leave, scheduling and gifts) that were hypothesized to influence voluntary blood donation; attribute selection was based on a literature review and qualitative interviews. Second, a d-efficient design with 36 choice sets and 9 blocks was developed. Participants were asked to complete four choice sets, and in each choice set, they were asked to choose from three options: two voluntary blood donation scenarios and a 'Do not donate blood' option. Study participants were recruited through an online survey platform company in China. Voluntary blood donation preferences and preferences by blood donation history were estimated with random-parameter logit models and interaction terms. RESULTS: In 2022, 1185 individuals enrolled in the study. Most participants had college education (92%). Generally, participants preferred longer paid leave, lower blood donation volumes and gifts after donation. Based on interaction analyses, experienced and inexperienced donors exhibited similar preferences. CONCLUSION: Campaigns to increase voluntary blood donation rates in China should consider implementing paid leave after voluntary blood donation, lower blood donation volumes and small gifts conferred after donation.

The health impacts of blood donation: a systematic review of donor and non-donor perceptions.

BACKGROUND: The health and well-being of volunteer donors is of critical concern for blood collection agencies responsible for ensuring a stable supply of blood products. However, lay understandings of the impact of donating blood on health remain poorly understood. As lay perceptions are likely to influence critical decisions about donation, understanding these perceptions is key for informing evidence-based approaches to donor retention and recruitment. As such, we conducted a systematic review of the blood donation literature to identify donors' and non-donors' perceptions of the short and longer-term physiological health effects of whole-blood and/or blood product donation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review was conducted in line with PRISMA guidelines. Studies published from January 1995 to February 2021 were included. Perceptions were defined as both experiences and beliefs. Psychological effects were considered outside the scope of the review. RESULTS: A total of 247 studies were included. Most studies (89.5%) had donation-related health perceptions as a background rather than a central (10.5%) focus, and they were only assessed in relation to whole blood donation. More results focused on health-related beliefs than experiences (82 vs 18%), specific rather than general beliefs and experiences (80 vs 20%) and more frequently examined negative than positive beliefs and experiences (83 vs 17%). The most commonly studied and reported specific negative beliefs related to increased risk of infectious disease, reduced vitality, vasovagal reactions and low iron. Most studies examining specific negative beliefs were conducted in Asian countries. DISCUSSION: Findings reinforce that lay perspectives on how donation impacts health are under-researched, and it is difficult to know how important these are in informing critical decisions about donation for donors and non-donors. We suggest that further research with donation-related health beliefs and experiences as the central focus is needed to provide insights to inform communications with donors and the public.

Psychological responses to blood donated by men who have sex with men.

BACKGROUND: Restrictions previously limiting the ability of men who have sex with men to donate blood are being eased in a number of nations worldwide. In the context of these changes, it is important to determine public perceptions of receiving a transfusion of blood donated by men who have sex with men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In online surveys, 510 (Study 1) and 1,062 (Study 2) heterosexual participants reported attitudes, anxiety, disgust, and gratitude towards potentially receiving a transfusion of blood donated by a homosexual male donor and a heterosexual male donor. In Study 2, half of the participants were reminded of the safety testing carried out on donated blood samples. Negative attitudes, anxiety, disgust, and gratitude were compared between the two donors using t-tests and within-participants indirect effects analysis. RESULTS: Stronger negative attitudes, higher anxiety and disgust, and lower gratitude were reported in relation to a potential transfusion of blood donated by the homosexual male donor relative to the heterosexual male donor (|d|=0.26-0.46). This was the case even when participants were reminded of the safety testing completed on donated blood samples in Study 2. In both studies, the effect of donor sexual orientation on attitudes was explained via heightened anxiety and disgust and attenuated gratitude (b=0.05-0.30). DISCUSSION: Considering receiving a transfusion of blood donated by a homosexual male donor elicits more negative attitudes, anxiety and disgust, and less positive emotion, relative to blood donated by a heterosexual male donor. These attitudes and emotional reactions are not shifted by a reminder of the safety testing carried out on donated blood samples. In the context of changing restrictions on blood donation by men who have sex with men, these findings highlight a challenge to shift public perception to embrace this cohort of donors.

Psychological ownership and identity motives in blood donation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interventions to retain existing donors are essential to increase the blood supply. Blood donor self-identity is proposed to motivate sustained donation behaviour. However, interventions to develop self-identity in the absence of donating blood are scarce. We propose that experiencing psychological ownership of a blood collection agency (BCA) may provide a potential avenue for fostering donor self-identity and subsequent sustained donation behaviour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five donor participants were recruited through Prolific Academic (n = 175) and an Australian online blood donor community group (n = 80), with an additional 252 non-donors recruited through Prolific Academic. Participants completed an online survey assessing donation behaviour, perceived psychological ownership of a BCA, self-identity and intentions to donate blood, amongst other constructs. RESULTS: Consistent with our theoretical argument, psychological ownership was positively associated with self-identity, which, in turn, was positively associated with intentions to donate blood. Donation behaviour was positively associated with psychological ownership. Examination of psychological ownership by donation experience showed the expected relationship with committed donors having the strongest psychological ownership and non-donors having the weakest psychological ownership over a BCA. CONCLUSION: We provide initial support for the inclusion of psychological ownership within a model of sustained blood donation behaviour.

Blood Donors' Preferences Toward Incentives for Donation in China.

Importance: Blood donation is critical for health care systems, but donor retention remains challenging. Understanding donors' preferences can inform incentive design and improve retention rates. Objective: To identify donor preferences for incentive attributes and their relative importance in promoting blood donation among Chinese donors in Shandong. Design, Setting, and Participants: This survey study fielded a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with a dual response design among blood donors, analyzing the responses under forced and unforced choice settings. The study took place from January 1 to April 30, 2022, in 3 cities (Yantai, Jinan, and Heze) representing diverse socioeconomic strata in Shandong, China. Eligible participants were blood donors aged 18 to 60 years who had donated within the preceding 12 months. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were analyzed from May to June 2022. Exposure: Respondents were presented with different blood donation incentive profiles, varying in health examination, blood recipient, honor recognition, travel time, and gift value. Main Outcome and Measure: Respondent preferences for nonmonetary incentive attributes, attribute relative importance, willingness-to-discard values for attribute improvement, and estimated uptake of new incentive profiles. Results: A total of 650 donors were invited, of which 477 were included for analysis. The respondents were predominately male (308 respondents [64.6%]), aged 18 to 34 years (291 respondents [61.0%]), and had undergraduate degrees or higher (286 respondents [59.9%]). Among the 477 valid respondents, the mean (SD) age was 31.9 (11.2) years. Respondents preferred comprehensive health examination, family members as recipients, central government recognition, 30-minute travel time, and a gift valued at 60 Renminbi (RMB). No significant differences were found between the model results of forced and unforced choice setting. Blood recipient was the most important attribute, followed by health examination and gifts, and then honor and travel time. Respondents were willing to discard RMB 32 (95% CI, 18-46) for an improved health examination and RMB 69 (95% CI, 47-92) for changing the recipient from themselves to family members. Scenario analysis estimated 80.3% (SE, 0.024) of donors would endorse the new incentive profile if the recipient was changed from themselves to family members. Conclusions and Relevance: In this survey study, blood recipient, health examination, and gift value were perceived more important as nonmonetary incentives than travel time and honor recognition. Tailoring incentives according to these preferences may improve donor retention. Further research could help refine and optimize incentive schemes for blood donation promotion.

The effectiveness of iron education through a mobile application on donor return after deferral for low hemoglobin.

BACKGROUND: Low hemoglobin level is a common cause of donor deferral and results in a huge loss of the donor pool. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application as an educational tool to enhance donor return and improve hemoglobin levels after deferral. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an interventional study involving 382 blood donors who were deferred for low hemoglobin. The donors were divided equally into two groups: a control group and the intervention group. The control group received standard management for low hemoglobin deferral, which includes a short counseling session and a 1-month course of oral iron therapy. The intervention group used a mobile application in addition to standard management. The primary endpoint was the number of blood donors who returned during the 7 months of follow-up. The secondary endpoints were the hemoglobin increment at the first visit after the donors' deferral. RESULTS: The return rate was higher in the intervention group, with 81.2% of the donors returning in the 7 months of follow-up compared to 66% of the control group (p<0.001). Male and female donors had mean hemoglobin increments of 1.0 g/dL and 0.7 g/dL, respectively, in the intervention group, compared to decrements of 0.2 g/dL and 0.4 g/dL, respectively, in the control group (p<0.001). Multivariable analysis showed a significant association between intervention method, education level and donation status on donor return (p=0.015, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). DISCUSSION: Higher return rate and greater hemoglobin increase in the interventional group could be attributed to features in the mobile application. Repeat donors had the highest odds of returning to donate, followed by those with a tertiary level of education, and those given the mobile application. This study showed that a mobile application was effective in enhancing donor return and increasing hemoglobin level among deferred blood donors on their first return.

The influence of service quality and anticipated emotions on donor loyalty: an empirical analysis in blood centres in Spain.

Blood donation centres need to recruit and retain donors to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare systems, as COVID-19 has recently evidenced. In such risky settings, blood donation services must increase donations. Service quality can increase donations but its evaluation only amounts to a cognitive evaluation, and not to an emotional appraisal. Consequently, both service quality and emotions should be considered when predicting donor behaviour. In fact, donating blood is an emotionally charged service, thus representing an ideal setting to investigate how emotions influence consumer behaviour. This research proposes a new method to predict blood donors' intentions by integrating a cognitive approach measuring perceived quality, and an emotional approach including anticipated emotions (both positive and negative) of 'donation' and 'non-donation'. Based on a sample of 30,621 active Spanish donors, it is concluded that service quality is an antecedent for anticipated emotions and that both service quality and anticipated emotions influence donor loyalty. Designing the donation process based on quality criteria would provoke encouraging emotions and diminish discouraging emotions, therefore improving donor loyalty.

Motivation, blood donor satisfaction and intention to return during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe motives as well as donation experiences and the intention to return for further donations of German whole blood donors who donated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To describe motives and donor experiences, a retrospective survey was conducted among whole blood donors that had a donation appointment at the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service in the first 4 weeks of the pandemic. A donor questionnaire including 17 retrospective questions was sent to 7500 donors. Donor motivation and donor experiences were compared for different donor groups using chi-square statistics. Finally, in an ordinal logistic regression model predictors for the intention to return were identified. RESULTS: More than half of the participating donors (56.9%) wanted to contribute to the fight against the pandemic by donating blood. Most of the donors were satisfied with their last donation experience and felt safe during the blood donor appointment. However, some donors would have liked more information on how to deal with the pandemic (20.3%). Intention to return for further donations was strongly associated with overall satisfaction (OR: 1.67, CI: 1.47-1.90) and the feeling of being safe during blood donation (OR: 1.33, CI: 1.05-1.68). CONCLUSION: Donor satisfaction with the last donation was high and the vast majority of donors felt very safe. However, those donors who felt unsafe expressed a low intention to return and blood donation services should therefore carefully monitor donor satisfaction.

Choice architecture for young adult blood donor recruitment - a feasibility study.

Blood shortages remain an ongoing challenge, ameliorable by increasing blood donations. Choice architecture is an emerging concept in psychology dealing with the targeted presentation of options to encourage a desired decision. A pilot study was designed to test the feasibility of implementing six choice architecture strategies on a Midwest high-school blood drive. These include framing, conformity, mere measurement, availability heuristic, loss aversion and status quo bias. A pre-post interrupted time-series evaluation was performed to evaluate for an immediate impact on blood donations. All six of the intended choice architecture strategies were successfully implemented. The pre-intervention 5-year average number of blood donations per blood drive was 15 (4.3% of age eligible donors) whereas post intervention, the number of blood donors rose to 25 (7.1% of age eligible donors; p-value = .0013). The application of choice architecture to blood donor recruitment strategies is feasible and has the potential to reduce the burden of blood shortages.

Social Contagion of Vasovagal Symptoms in Blood Donors: Interactions With Empathy.

BACKGROUND: Vasovagal reactions (VVRs) are commonly experienced in medical situations such as blood donation. Many believe that psychosocial contagion can contribute to the development of VVRs, but this is largely clinical lore. PURPOSE: The goal of the present investigation was to examine the physiological effects of observing another experience a reaction, focusing on the potential moderating effects of empathy. METHODS: This study was part of a randomized controlled trial of behavioral techniques on the prevention of VVRs in blood donors. The sample was composed of 530 healthy university students. Measures of symptoms were obtained with the Blood Donation Reactions Inventory (BDRI) and through observation. Physiological variables were measured using respiratory capnometry and a digital blood pressure monitor. The Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy was administered to 230 participants. RESULTS: Donors who witnessed another experiencing a reaction were more likely to spontaneously report symptoms during the blood draw, to be treated for a reaction, to score higher on the BDRI, and to exhibit smaller compensatory heart rate increases. Donors with higher affective empathy reported more symptoms, exhibited hyperventilation, and were more likely to be treated. Donors with higher cognitive empathy were less likely to require treatment if they witnessed a reaction. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that psychosocial contagion of physical symptoms can occur. The moderating effects of empathy differed depending on the subtype of empathy. Perhaps a better cognitive understanding of how other people are feeling functions as a coping response, whereas feeling sympathetic about others' distress increases one's own.

Results from the blood donor competence, autonomy, and relatedness enhancement (blood donor CARE) randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to promote competence, autonomy, and relatedness among first-time whole blood donors to enhance intrinsic motivation and increase retention. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Using a full factorial design, first-time donors (N = 2002) were randomly assigned to a no-treatment control condition or to one of seven intervention conditions designed to promote donation competence, autonomy, relatedness, a combination of two (e.g., competence and autonomy), or all three constructs. Participants completed donor motivation measures before the intervention and 6 weeks later, and subsequent donation attempts were assessed for 1 year. RESULTS: There was no significant group difference in the frequency of donation attempts or in the number of days to return. Significant effects of group were observed for 10 of the 12 motivation measures, although follow-up analyses revealed significant differences from the control group were restricted to interventions that included an autonomy component. Path analyses confirmed direct associations between interventions involving autonomy and donor motivation, and indirect mediation of donation attempts via stronger donation intentions and lower donation anxiety. CONCLUSION: Among young, first-time, whole blood donors, brief interventions that include support for donor autonomy were associated with direct effects on donor motivation and indirect, but small, effects on subsequent donation behavior.

Donor orientation and service quality: Key factors in active blood donors' satisfaction and loyalty.

Faced with the increasing demand for blood and greater restrictions on ensuring the safety of transfusions, voluntary donation is currently the only and best alternative for the health system to have a sustainable and safe blood supply. In this context, one of the primary strategies of blood transfusion centres is to increase the satisfaction of their active donors so that they maintain their intention to donate in the future and, in turn, make the necessary recommendations so that third parties can become new donors. That is why this paper raises a question for research concerning, what should the premises be to guide the management of blood transfusion centres to maintain and even increase the satisfaction and loyalty of their active donors? In order to respond to this issue, a change in paradigm is proposed based on a management model supported by donor orientation and service quality as basic pillars, as well as on the development of a number of key social capital resources that explain this orientation toward the donor. In both approaches, the donor becomes the cornerstone of decision-making, moving away from the traditional model which is focused more on achieving targets related to the collection of blood bags. Through the empirical analysis of a sample of 126 employees from various transfusion centres and 26,833 active donors in nine Spanish autonomous communities, we have been able to validate this proposed management model as a useful tool to blood promotion agents in their decision-making processes.

Knowledge and attitude towards blood donation among college students in Southwest Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: blood donation (BD) is affected by several factors, among which people's knowledge and attitude are the key determinants. However, the level of knowledge and attitude towards BD in Ethiopia is not yet well studied. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level and factors associated with knowledge and attitude towards blood donation among health science college students in Southwest Ethiopia. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted among 394 health science students from June 1st to 15th 2019. The data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The data were entered using EPI-data version 4.2.0.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The correlation analysis was done to determine the association between the knowledge sum score and the attitude sum score. A binary logistic regression analysis was done to determine the association between the dependent and independent variables. RESULTS: the proportions of good knowledge and positive attitude towards BD were 69.3%, 95% CI (64.8%-73.4%) and 58.1%, 95% CI (52.3%-63.0%) respectively. The study also found that age ≥23 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.67, 95% CI (1.04-2.67)), having a father with primary and secondary school and above (AOR=2.24, 95% CI (1.20-4.17) and AOR=2.26, 95% CI (1.26-4.06) respectively) and ever donated blood (AOR=3.64, 95%CI (2.26-5.85)) were factors associated with good knowledge of blood donation. Being a rural resident (AOR=1.59, 95% CI (1.01-2.40)) and graduating class student (AOR=0.56, 95% CI (0.34-0.96)) were factors associated with a positive attitude towards blood donation. The knowledge-related questions´ sum score value was positively correlated with the attitude-related questions' sum score value (r=0.30, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: the knowledge and attitude towards BD among the study population are a substantial deficiency. Therefore, more effort is needed to increase the level of knowledge and attitude towards BD by inculcating short training courses for these groups of population in the existing curriculum.

Psychological assessment and lived experiences of recovered COVID-19 patients who presented for convalescent plasma donation.

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, it has been seen that patients recovering from COVID-19 may face a second battle of coping with its mental health ramifications. These psychological issues can even be experienced by patients who were asymptomatic or had mild to moderate symptoms, potentially impacting their quality of life. METHODOLOGY: This was a prospective observational study to analyse the psychological impact of COVID-19 in recovered patients who presented as prospective convalescent plasma (CP) donors. An interview for the psychological assessment of the prospective donors was carried out. Depression and anxiety in the participants were assessed by HAM-A, and HAM-D scores and Quality of Life were assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF scale. RESULTS: A total of 51 prospective donors were assessed, with a mean age of 34.37 (±9.08) years, with the majority being males (46). No clinically significant depression and anxiety were found on the basis of HAM-D and HAM-A scores. The worst affected quality of life parameter, based on the WHOQOL-BREF scale, was physical quality of life followed by environmental, psychological, and social relationships. Moreover, due to infection, social stigma was experienced by 49.02% of the donors, while 21.97% had anxiety related to convalescent plasma donation as a common livid experience. CONCLUSION: Poor quality of life and social stigma during the recovery phase is prevalent in COVID-19 recovered patients, for which formulation of holistic support strategies are the need of the hour.

Improving the donation experience and reducing venipuncture pain by addressing fears among whole-blood and plasma donors.

BACKGROUND: Fear of blood donation is implicated in vasovagal reactions, donor recruitment, and retention. This study examined the extent to which fear among donors is associated with various donor outcomes in an Australian sample, and whether fear can be addressed on-site to reduce adverse reactions and improve the donation experience. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Six hundred and sixty-four donors (age M = 33.4, SD = 12.7; 55% female) participated in a two-center, pragmatic, parallel group, individually randomized controlled trial. Following donor registration and consent, whole-blood (n = 539) and plasma (n = 125) donors were assigned to one of four Conditions: control; fear assessment; fear assessment + brochure; fear assessment + brochure + tailored conversation focused on any self-reported fear and coping strategies. Post-donation questionnaires assessed the donors' experience including positive support, donor self-efficacy, anxiety, fear, venipuncture pain, and vasovagal reactions. RESULTS: Fear among donors predicted higher venipuncture pain, post-donation anxiety, and vasovagal reactions and remained significant after controlling for other established predictors (i.e., total estimated blood volume, age, sex, and donation experience). Mediational analyses showed that exposure to brochures (with or without the tailored conversation) was associated with less pain, with this effect mediated by donor perceptions of more positive support. Venipuncture pain was also associated with vasovagal reactions, reduced likelihood of return within 6 months, and less satisfaction with the donation experience. CONCLUSION: The current results underline the importance of interventions to address fear among both whole-blood and plasma donors to secure the safety and well-being of donors and the blood supply.