Experience with 11,916 designated donors.

Area of Science:

• Transfusion Medicine
• Blood Banking
• Public Health

Background:

• Designated donor programs allow specific patients to select their blood donors.
• Initial protocols for designated donations were complex, potentially hindering participation.
• Patient and donor convenience are crucial for successful blood donation programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and characteristics of blood donations made through a designated donor program.
• To compare designated donations with homologous and first-time non-designated donations.
• To assess the impact of protocol simplification on donor participation and blood safety.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 11,916 designated donors from June 1984 to December 1985.
• Comparison of designated donors (n=3063) with homologous (n=3201) and first-time non-designated donors (n=3439).
• Evaluation of deferral rates, age, sex, race, blood type, and laboratory test results across groups.

Main Results:

• Simplifying the protocol increased ease of participation for donors, patients, and staff.
• No significant differences were observed between designated, homologous, and first-time non-designated donors in key demographic and laboratory parameters.
• Deferral rates, age, sex, race, blood type, and test results were comparable across all donor groups.

Conclusions:

• Simplified designated donor programs are feasible and do not compromise blood safety.
• Designated donations are equivalent in safety to non-designated and homologous blood donations.
• The study supports the continued use and potential expansion of accessible designated donor programs.