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Is it essential to inform the positive donor? A 2-year study in a tertiary care hospital
Febe Renjitha Suman1, R Krishnamoorthy, Vinod K Panicker
1Department of Transfusion Medicine, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Insights
Informing blood donors of positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, or hepatitis C status is crucial. Post-test counseling significantly improves donor health and disease prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Transfusion Medicine
Background:
- Mandatory blood screening for HIV, HBsAg, and HCV exists in India, but positive donors are often uninformed.
- The ethical imperative and necessity of informing blood donors about their positive infectious disease status remain a subject of debate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and outcomes of implementing a post-test counseling program for blood donors found positive for HIV, HBsAg, or HCV.
- To evaluate donor response rates and the impact of counseling on awareness of their infectious status.
Main Methods:
- A blood bank in Chennai initiated post-test counseling for blood donors screened positive for HIV, HBsAg, or HCV using ELISA.
- Positive donors were contacted via confidential letters, invited for counseling, and offered comprehensive information on confirmation, treatment, and prevention.
- Data were collected and analyzed over a two-year period (June 2008 - May 2010).
Main Results:
- Out of 22,573 donors screened, 355 (1.7%) tested positive.
- Of the 310 donors contacted, 218 (70.3%) responded to the counseling invitation.
- None of the responding donors were previously aware of their positive infectious status, highlighting a critical gap in communication.
Conclusions:
- Post-test counseling for blood donors with positive infectious disease results is essential.
- Informing donors benefits their health, aids in disease prevention for their families and the community, improves blood bank economics, and reduces healthcare worker exposure.
Background:
In India, screening of blood for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mandatory before issue, but the donors are often not informed of their positive status.[1] The positive donors are always kept in dark. Is it essential to inform the positive donor? It is a debate still.
Materials And Methods:
Sri Ramachandra Blood Bank, Chennai, took the challenge of posttest counseling of blood donors from June 2008. Blood collected from donors were screened for HIV, HBsAg, and HCV. The donors of the blood, which are positive by two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for any of the above tests, were sent a letter of calling respecting their rights and maintaining confidentiality. Responded donors were given counseling and offered information about confirmation, evaluation, consultation, early treatment, follow-up, contact testing, and transmission prevention. The results were analyzed for a period of 2 years from June 2008 to May 2010.
Results:
Among the 22,573 donors, 355 (1.7%) were found to be positive in the screening tests. Letters of calling were sent to 310 (87.04%) donors. In all, 218 (70.3%) donors with 7 (87.5%) HIV, 199 (68.85%) HBsAg, and 12 (92.31%) HCV positivity responded. None of the responded donors knew their status earlier. In all, 82 (35%) of them were repeat donors with 201 earlier donations at various blood banks.
Conclusion:
Posttest counseling of positive donors is essential for the health of the donor and his family, prevention of diseases, improving blood bank economy, and reducing exposure to healthcare workers.
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