Analysis of blood donor motivations.

INTRODUCTION

Blood and blood products are essential medical treatments for all age groups. The primary source for blood products in the U.S. is volunteer donors. Thus, donor recruitment and donor retention are vital factors for a blood bank to maintain its supply. We proposed that developing a better understanding of donors' motivations to donate would improve a blood bank's ability to secure a more robust supply of blood.

METHODS

Individuals ages 18-36 were approached to participate in the study during their blood donation appointment by completing a questionnaire. SAS software was used to statistically analyze the responses. Univariate analysis was done using Fisher's exact test. A multivariate model was constructed controlling for age and marital status, including the variables that were significant in univariate analysis.

RESULTS

No individual motivating or inhibiting factor reached statistical significance. The odds ratio for subsequent donation for donors with 10-plus donations versus those with one to three donations was 4.296 (p-value 0.004). The odds ratio regarding donors' likelihood of returning to donate for those donating within three to six months versus 1-plus year was 4.806 (p-value < 0.001). No employer was found to discourage blood donations.

CONCLUSIONS

Although no individual factors were found to be statistically significant, the identification of optimal time intervals and total number of donations at which donors are more likely to return may allow for more strategic scheduling of blood drives, increasing the likelihood of a donor returning while also increasing the total number of donations for that individual.