AM23-TU-04-O: Defining the benefits of blood collector-sponsored efforts to improve donor and community health (Enduring)

Blood collectors are motivated to ensure the health and safety of the blood donor before, during, and after collection. Minimum hemoglobin requirements, blood pressure readings, detailed medical questionnaires, and other steps help ensure that donors can safely complete the donation process while protecting the health of transfusion recipients. There is an emerging effort to use digital engagement strategies to educate and alert donors about anemia and hypertension. Blood collectors use secure web portals and blood donor apps to alert donors with elevated blood pressure readings or low hemoglobin noted during donor screening. Using data science to analyze social and demographic data from donors, there are opportunities to identify areas where healthcare investments may be beneficial. There remain gaps in our understanding of how health data motivate current and non-donors towards donation. We will present data on donor perception of health data and discuss potential opportunities regarding how public health initiatives can be leveraged to promote donor engagement. This course will present new public health efforts which use digital/internet tools to communicate donor health information and promote donor education.