[Infection risk and efficacy of clinical selection techniques for volunteer blood donors]

One of the objectives of predonation selection is to exclude blood donors with possible infection. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the different blood donor selection techniques. The approach chosen for this review of literature was the best evidence synthesis. A bibliographic search was carried out to identify all articles on the subject published between 1986 and 1996 which presented quantitative results of evaluation. Only nine relevant studies were selected. These referred to self exclusion before interview, health history interview and confidential deferral after donation. None of the articles evaluated the physical examination. The results suggested an efficacy for self exclusion before interview. One study considered the blood donor selection and compared various ways of combining self exclusion before interview, health history interview and confidential deferral after donation. No combination emerged as more effective than the others. This analysis shows that the efficacy of predonation blood donor selection applied to transfusion transmitted infections has not been evaluated adequately. The different techniques of blood donor selection must be considered as public health actions and hence evaluated according to a rigorous methodology using valid criteria.