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The potential impact of incentives on future blood donation behavior
A M Sanchez1, D I Ameti, G B Schreiber
1Westat, Rockville, Maryland, USA. SancheA1@westat.com
Insights
Offering incentives like blood credits can effectively increase donor retention. However, incentives such as cash may attract donors with higher infectious disease risks, necessitating careful consideration for blood donation programs.
Area of Science:
- Transfusion Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Assessing the efficacy and safety of donation incentives is crucial for recruitment and retention.
- Understanding donor motivations is key to optimizing blood collection strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential appeal and safety of various donation incentives.
- To identify demographic factors influencing donor response to incentives.
Main Methods:
- Anonymous mail survey of 7489 allogeneic donors.
- Inquiry into demographics, donation history, infectious disease risks, and incentive appeal.
Main Results:
- Blood credits (58%) and medical testing (46%) showed high potential for donor return.
- First-time and younger donors were more receptive to incentives.
- Donors motivated by cash exhibited a higher risk for transfusion-transmissible infections (p=0.03).
Conclusions:
- Blood credits and low-value items are potentially safe and effective retention strategies.
- Medical testing appeals broadly, but specific donor interests require further investigation.
- Careful selection of incentives is necessary to mitigate risks associated with donor selection.
Background:
It is important to assess the potential efficacy and safety of offering donation incentives as part of recruitment and retention programs.
Study Design And Methods:
In 1995, 7489 allogeneic donors responded to an anonymous mail survey that inquired about demographics, donation history, infectious disease risks, and the potential appeal of incentives.
Results:
The projected net effect of offering blood credits and medical testing would be to motivate, respectively, 58 percent and 46 percent of donors to return, whereas offering an item of limited value would motivate 20 percent to do so. First-time and younger donors reported more frequently than repeat or older donors that incentives would appeal to them. Donors attracted by cash were 60 percent more likely to have a risk for transfusion-transmissible infections (p = 0.03). Although not statistically significant, the odds of being an at-risk donor were higher among individuals attracted by tickets to events (OR 1.5) and extra time off work (OR 1.2).
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that offering blood credits and (though to a lesser extent) items of limited value could be safe and effective strategies for retaining donors. Although medical tests were found to have broad appeal, studies are needed to identify tests in which donors would be most interested.