Efficacy of various methods of confidential unit exclusion in identifying potentially infectious blood donations

To determine the efficacy of various methods of confidential unit exclusion (CUE) among donors at increased risk of HIV exposure, we surveyed AABB institutional members on their experience with 3 CUE methods: ballot or barcode, completed at the time of donation, and call-back, performed by the donor after leaving the donor center. From June 1985 to December 1987, 5,049,883 donations at 48 donor centers were evaluable for analysis. The results of this survey suggest that ballot and barcode methods of CUE are important adjuncts to other donor screening procedures in identifying potentially infectious units, and that both of these methods are superior to the call-back system of unit exclusion.