Characteristics and causes of pre-donation deferrals at a Chinese blood center

The future of blood services amid a tight balance between the supply and demand of blood products: Perspectives from the ISBT Young Professional Council

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Blood services manage the increasingly tight balance between the supply and demand of blood products, and their role in health research is expanding. This review explores the themes that may define the future of blood banking.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed the PubMed database for articles on emerging/new blood-derived products and the utilization of blood donors in health research.

RESULTS

In high-income countries (HICs), blood services may consider offering these products: whole blood, cold-stored platelets, synthetic blood components, convalescent plasma, lyophilized plasma and cryopreserved/lyophilized platelets. Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) aim to establish a pool of volunteer, non-remunerated blood donors and wean themselves off family replacement donors; and many HICs are relaxing the deferral criteria targeting racial and sexual minorities. Blood services in HICs could achieve plasma self-sufficiency by building plasma-dedicated centres, in collaboration with the private sector. Lastly, blood services should expand their involvement in health research by establishing donor cohorts, conducting serosurveys, studying non-infectious diseases and participating in clinical trials.

CONCLUSION

This article provides a vision of the future for blood services. The introduction of some of these changes will be slower in LMICs, where addressing key operational challenges will likely be prioritized.

The influence of demographic and lifestyle factors on blood donation delay among student population: a retrospective study

Objective

This study analysed blood donation deferral trends, reasons and demographic/lifestyle characteristics among students in Huzhou City. The aim was to understand the health status of students and reduce the deferral rate.

Methods

Data on blood donation deferral among students in Huzhou City from 2018 to 2022 were collected and analysed. Deferral trends and main reasons were investigated. Using demographic and lifestyle data from 2,619 cases in 2022, a risk prediction model for deferral was constructed.

Results

The deferral rate among students in Huzhou City from 2018 to 2022 was 12.60% (p = 0.000, 95%CI: 12.14-13.06%), showing a significant increasing trend. Temporary deferral was the main reason, with alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood pressure (BP) and haemoglobin (Hb) as the main deferral factors. ALT had a deferral rate of 5.23% (4.92-5.53%), BP 3.30% (3.06-3.55%), and Hb 2.92% (2.68-3.15%). Demographic and lifestyle characteristics in 2022 showed no significant differences between education level, household registration and deferral rate (p > 0.05). However, age, sex, blood donation history, sleep quality, diet and mental state had variable effects on ALT, BP, and Hb deferrals (p < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that sex, blood donation history, sleep quality, diet and mental status were independent risk factors for ALT deferral (p < 0.05), with odds ratios (ORs) of 5.057, 2.735, 1.594, 3.679, and 1.957, respectively. Age, blood donation history, sleep quality and mental state were independent risk factors for BP deferral (p < 0.05), with ORs of 0.256, 3.658, 6.042, and 1.812, respectively. Gender, blood donation history and diet were independent risk factors for Hb deferral (p < 0.05), with ORs of 0.244, 0.542, and 3.103, respectively.

Conclusion

Students' health problems require attention. Effective health education should improve self-health management and pre-donation health behaviour to encourage regular blood donation.

Why some canine and feline blood donors do not make the cut: A cohort study

BACKGROUND

While there has been extensive investigation into the selection and retention of human blood donors, veterinary research in this area is limited. This study aimed to identify the reasons for the rejection and withdrawal of canine and feline blood donors from a blood donation programme.

METHODS

Records of cats and dogs presenting as prospective blood donors and/or donating between 2014 and 2019 were analysed. Reasons for rejection at sign-up were categorised into medical and temperament. Reasons why animals left before retirement age were categorised into medical, temperament and owner related.

RESULTS

Data from 362 dogs and 134 cats were analysed. Cats (20.8%) were more likely to be rejected than dogs (5.2%) at sign-up, mostly due to medical reasons. Both species often left the blood donor service early due to temperament reasons. Owner and medical reasons for leaving early were also common.

LIMITATION

This was a retrospective study with subjective assessment of temperament.

CONCLUSIONS

Inability to donate due to temperament and medical reasons is common. When recruiting blood donors, it should be recognised that a fairly high proportion will not be successful. Owner understanding and motivation are essential to ensure successful selection and retention of donors, which allows amortisation of recruitment costs.

Blood Service in a Region of China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe blood services in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Regions, (hereinafter referred to as Aba Prefecture), a region of China's Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the third largest area of Tibet and the main inhabited area of the Qiang people. Design: We present a comprehensive investigation into blood donations, donors, screening and supply in the 13 counties of Aba Prefecture based on data from 2013 to 2018. Geography and population were also used to analyze the differences in blood services among different regions. Participants: The number of blood donors totaled 19,047. Results: Over the past 6 years, blood donations have increased by 29 and clinical blood usage by 45%. The blood donation rate was 3.4‱ and per capita blood use was 1.04 mL, both of which were significantly lower than the national average, and blood donation decreased with altitude. It should be noted that the donation rate of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples is much lower than that of the Han population. Moreover, the rejection rate of blood in laboratory testing was found to be higher than the national average, especially in counties located at higher altitudes. Conclusions: Blood donations and usage increased every year in Aba Prefecture, but blood shortage is still an important issue. In addition, the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted diseases is relatively high, which may be linked to lower-education and unfavorable geographical and medical conditions.

Prevalence and causes of pre-donation deferrals among potential plateletpheresis donors at a blood center in Eastern China

BACKGROUND

In China, the platelet donation interval is 14 days. The eligibility criterion of plateletpheresis donors (PD) is more stringent than that of whole blood donors, so the deferral causes are very complicated. However, the deferral prevalence and causes among PDs are not well known in China.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the deferral prevalence and influencing factors during pre-donation among PDs in a blood centre in Eastern China.

METHODS

From December 26, 2020 to December 25, 2021, all data of potential PDs during pre-donation were extracted from the register system and collected using Microsoft Excel. The number of deferred visits and the corresponding causes were retrospectively analysed, and the re-donation rate of deferred donors was calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 19,762 visits were included in the study. Of these 17,847 (90.3%) donated platelets successfully and 1915 (9.7%) were deferred. The prevalence of deferrals was high among those less than 35 years old (p < 0.05) and first-time donors (p = 0). The leading cause for deferral was elevated alanine transaminase (51.4%) followed by abnormal haematological parameters (37.15%). High white blood cell count was the first deferral factor (26.9%) in abnormal haematological parameters. In more than 2 ineligible items, low haemoglobin and haematocrit simultaneously were dominant (58.3%). The re-donation rate of repeat donors (65.4%) was higher than that of first-time donors (19.3%) (p = 0).

CONCLUSION

The deferral prevalence in Chinese plateletpheresis donors was not high. First-time and young donors were more frequently deferred. The repeat donors should be of concern, especially with abnormal haematological parameters.

The Theory of Planned Behavior for the Improvement of the Delayed Blood Donation Cycle, Optimization of the Planning Behavior, and Donor Intention

The advances in the technology applied to the health field lead the medical system to be optimized and the medical equipment and drugs to be improved, and the benefits can be seen in the prolonged human lifetime. The increased age and the lifestyle, however, increase the demand of blood for medical procedures and to save lives. The average age of blood donors has gradually increased, the number of new blood donors has grown slowly, and the allocation of blood supply and inventory is complex and many times cannot be improved. The low increase in blood donor number is a concern that needs to be overcome. Here, the theory of planned behavior was used as a tool to analyze the motivation, intention, and behavior of blood donors. The theory of planned behavior was applied in the form of questionnaires to college students. The results indicated that participation on the research motivates and educates the participants to donate blood, encourages the behavior of relatives, and leads the participants to realize the altruistic and mutually beneficial outlook on blood donation. The results also indicated the awareness of the students with respect to the importance of blood donation and that it can be an important tool in order to educate and increase the young blood donor number.