Reasons for missed donation appointments among blood donors

Abstract

The primary objective of blood banks is to maintain a stable blood supply in order to meet the hospitals’ demand for blood. This requires, among other things, that donors keep their scheduled appointments. The reasons underlying missed appointments, however, are unclear. The current study sought to identify the reasons for missed donation appointments among blood donors. During the period February-June 2013, telephone interviews with repeat whole-blood donors who had missed their donation appointments were conducted. We asked them about their reasons for not keeping their appointments. Donors who missed appointments were significantly younger than those who kept their appointments (mean age 41,4 years versus 45,2 years). The results also demonstrated that donors in the two youngest age groups were about three times more likely to miss their appointment compared to those in the oldest age group. There were no significant differences between male and female donors who had missed their appointment with respect to demographic characteristics. The most frequently given reason for missing appointments was illness (41,0 %) followed by time pressure (27,2 %) and forgetting the appointment (12,6 %). In conclusion, there were significant differences between appointment status and donor’s age, but not their gender. Most of the reasons given for missed appointments seem to be beyond the blood bank’s control.

Keywords

• blood donation
• appointment scheduling
• missed donation appointment
• blood bank inventory