The Influence of Plateletpheresis Donors' Attitudes on Their Willingness to Give Future Donations and to Recommend Donation to Others

Choung, Hae Kyoung; Seo, Dong Hee; Kim, Dae Won

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In order to facilitate public participation in platelet donation, it is important to encourage current donors to give future donations and to recommend others to donate. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the attitudes of plateletpheresis donors' toward their willingness to give further donations and to recommend others to donate. Understanding the factors influencing the donors' behavioral patterns toward donation would help determine a plan for how to increase the recruitment of donors and manage platelet resources effectively.
METHODS
A questionnaire-based survey was carried out on a total of 198 plateletpheresis donors recruited from university hospitals and blood centers of the Korea National Red Cross. The questionnaire contained 29 items, which consisted of 10 items related to the perception of donation, 7 items to their level of satisfaction in donating, 2 items related to their willingness to give future donations and recommend others to donate, 6 items on how to improve the quality of donation services, and 4 items related to the donor's general characteristics. Multiple-regression analysis was used to analyze the data.
RESULTS
The plateletpheresis donors with higher perception and satisfaction scores were found to be more willing to give future donations and to recommend others to donate. The number of voluntary donors was higher than that of non-voluntary donors both in the university hospital and in blood centers. The scores of perception and satisfaction, along with the willingness to make future donations, were much higher in the blood centers than in the hospitals. The misperception about blood donation was found to be the major cause of the low donation rate.
CONCLUSION
Since the behavioral patterns of plateletpheresis donors are influenced by their attitudes toward donation, more efforts and administrative supports will be needed to improve the quality of plateletpheresis services and the public perception of donation.