19.08.2005

Conductor, raporteur: Kadi Grichin

Let’s try first to think about the reasons behind the fact, that often people who come for the first time, do not continue giving blood.

1. IT TAKES TOO LONG.

one needs to get out of work to get there, stay in the blood center for 45 minutes etc – You will lose half a workday anyway and it is not seen as a good thing in many companies.

Time issue is also a fact, is there a possibility to give blood on Saturdays or on the time after work?

2. LOCATION OF THE BLOOD CENTER

How to get there, bus connection and the matter of parking places, in the center or elsewhere, secure or insecure neighborhood.

If there are both public and private blood banks – as in Brazil - one can choose, what is closer – there is an option – or if you are not pleased with the service or something.

To have more blood drives – then one does not lose so much time, blood collection takes place very near, no parking problems etc. It is also a good personal politics for the company – there might become a competition between companies – who has more donors. Thereby You can also get a lot of regular company donors. Maybe if they are employed new people, there are group of donors who introduce themselves and invite to join them on the next donor day.

There should still be considerations about minimizing the costs of blood banks – they cannot stay in one company for a whole day, but only for couple of hours.

3. TREATMENT OF THE DONORS

If you treat the donor well, explaining the details of the donation, why sometimes one can faint or not feel well, to make the donor lay down > then they come back.

If, for example, your arm, where you were taken blood, is aching for a long time because of not professional blood taking, then they rarely come back

Basically matter of good, friendly and effective stuff in Blood center

4. APPRECIATION OF THE DONORS

saying thank you after the blood giving, sending thank you letters, diplomas, medals etc.

Explaining, that it really is something special, that donors do and that the blood they are giving, goes for the good purpose.

Examples:

- Luxembourg – each 20 times they are given medals.

- Denmark – 150 times – letter from the prince, invited to a party, little bin after 1^st time, sticker with your name, blood time

- Brazil – each one have their own donor card

- Estonia – Red Cross gives the ho 1^st time little bin, then again to the 25^th time donor. If one has given blood 100 times, he/she is invited to the reception of the president on the Independence Day.

5. REJECTION OF THE DONORS

People do not like if they come with the idea to give blood, but do not qualify for it. Again matter of communication and education of the people in blood bank – if it is explained, why he/she cannot give blood for this time or generally, one understands and may come back another time. If not, we lose him/her forever. There also should be explained, that if one cannot ever give blood for some physical reasons, he/she can help to promote blood donation otherwise.

In Denmark – for the first time people are asked to come to test blood, and fill out questionnaire only, not taken blood. People are told: we check if everything is ok for your security sake. Then you are asked to come for the blood donation. Problem is: if you move to another place, you turn for the first time donor again, because each blood bank has its own medical chiefs, and it is difficult to change the system. But the regular donors do not like it of course, to be treated like first time donor again.

6. LACK OF INFORMATION

If people had enough information about the safety blood transfusion, about the reasons why it is important to give blood, about why some people cannot give blood etc many problems would not be there.

Estonia – it would be important to know when they can donate again. If they could check it themselves on the internet for example. You need lots of computers for that.