Supervisors info:
Μαριάννα Πολίτου, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Βαλσάμη Σερένα, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Τραυλού Ανθή, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Blood donation is mainly driven by promoting goodness and fulfilling the need for altruistic actions that the prospective donors are experiencing. More often than not, blood composes a “gift of life” for the recipient, thus rendering voluntary blood donation fundamental for the proper and effective function of health systems worldwide. Despite the increased need for blood, the number of blood donors is not sufficient to relief the deficiency.
In this postgraduate thesis, the necessary acceptance criteria as well as the rejection causes of blood donation, are being listed and analyzed. In addition, the different exclusion time periods from the process caused by the rejection criteria, are also mentioned.
The goal of this thesis is to record and analyze the rejected blood donors, and the reasons for their rejection, at the Blood Donation Department of the General Hospital and Health Center of Kos during the time between 29/04/2019-29/04/2020. The reason why every rejection cause leads to rejection as well as the directions concerning the exclusion time period from the National Center of Blood Donation are recorded and analyzed. The diagrams and the statistic analysis were conducted using the Microsoft Office Excel 2010 program.
Considering the data, 1616 prospective donors showed up at the Blood Donation Department in order to donate blood, during the time period that is being examined. From those 1616 potential donors, 1315 (81,4%) were allowed to continue the process, whereas 301 (18,6%) were differed. Furthermore, 170 (56,5%) of the rejected blood donors were males, whereas 131(43,5%) were females. What is more, 221(73,4%) of the blood donors were replacement donors donating blood for a friend or relative in need. The main rejection cause appears to be the presence of cardiovascular disease (26,9%). On the other hand, the less frequent causes of rejection were: dangerous sexual behavior of the prospective donor and the presence of a malignancy, both constituting 0,33% of the total potential donors that were differed.
Finally, it is understood that the increased need for blood in combination to the decreased number of prospective blood donors, dictates for an effort to attract and inform more potential blood donors. Despite the medical and technological blood we are experiencing, that has led to the evolution of radical scientific findings, a synthetic substitute of blood is yet to be discovered. Therefore, enhancing blood donation is of critical significance. Traversing the so-called “digital era” using carriers like the media in cooperation with adjusting education, could aid to the spread of Volunteering and Blood Donation. Sufficient information as well as extensive analysis of the blood donation process, are embedded in leading to an increase of the prospective donors. In addition, reavaluating some of the rejection causes from the appropriate carriers so as to incorporate again temporary differed donors is urgent.
