Prevalence of blood donation eligibility in Australia: A population survey |
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Authors: | Yasmin Mowat Veronica Hoad Bridget Haire Barbara Masser John Kaldor Anita Heywood Rachel Thorpe Hamish McManus Skye McGregor |
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Affiliation: | 1. The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia;2. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Melbourne, Australia;3. School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia |
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Abstract: | Background Reliable estimates of the population proportion eligible to donate blood are needed by blood collection agencies to model the likely impact of changes in eligibility criteria and inform targeted population-level education, recruitment, and retention strategies. In Australia, the sole estimate was calculated 10+ years ago. With several subsequent changes to the eligibility criteria, an updated estimate is required. Study Design and Methods We conducted a cross-sectional national population survey to estimate eligibility for blood donation. Respondents were aged 18+ and resident in Australia. Results were weighted to obtain a representative sample of the population. Results Estimated population prevalence of blood donation eligibility for those aged 18–74 was 57.3% (95% CI 55.3–59.3). The remaining 42.7% (95% CI 40.7–44.7) were either temporarily (25.3%, 95% CI 23.5–27.2) or permanently ineligible (17.4%, 95% CI 16.1–18.9). Of those eligible at the time of the survey, that is, with the UK geographic deferral for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease included, (52.9%, 95% CI 50.8–54.9), 14.2% (95% CI 12.3–16.3) reported donating blood within the previous 2 years. Eligibility was higher among men (62.6%, 95% CI 59.6–65.6) than women (52.8%, 95% CI 50.1–55.6). The most common exclusion factor was iron deficiency/anemia within the last 6 months; 3.8% (95% CI 3.2–4.6) of the sample were ineligible due to this factor alone. Discussion We estimate that approximately 10.5 million people (57.3% of 18–74-year-olds) are eligible to donate blood in Australia. Only 14.2% of those eligible at the time of survey reported donating blood within the previous 2 years, indicating a large untapped pool of potentially eligible blood donors. |
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Keywords: | blood blood donation deferral criteria eligibility perceptions prevalence transfusion medicine vCJD |
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