Blood donors come mainly for the purpose of having fun. The youngest show some reasons for dissatisfaction that the EFS will take into account.
Donate blood to save lives. Each year, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) multiplies campaigns and calls to recruit new donors. For the year 2013, 2,833,000 samples were taken. As for the “regulars” of donating blood, they are quite numerous. In Toulouse, a 52-year-old man has just celebrated his 500th blood donation.
Give for pleasure
Thanks to the responses of the 15,271 donors participating in a questionnaire, the Donor Observatory was able to shed light on the motivations pushing respondents to donate blood: to have fun by giving. By helping others, the person gives himself a clear conscience. According to the study, the donor “ultimately appears to be mostly self-centered”. However, “it is” a personal context “that he designates as the main element that can lead him to no longer donate blood,” notes the study.
In addition to knowing the motivations of donors, the EFS focused on their relationship to the world. For the most part, they consider themselves “happy, lucky, optimistic”. This is a first for the EFS. In previous studies, donors explained their gesture by a gesture of generosity. Today, the optimism of donors pushes them to come and give. They consider that “the important thing in life is to know how to have fun, to follow your desires” says the study. Apart from this gesture of solidarity, the respondents “only say that they are moderately involved in collective projects”.
Overall satisfied donors
Satisfied with the relationship with the staff in charge of the collection, the donors express some reservations. For example, they recognize that they prefer fixed sites to mobile collection mainly because the places can be too small.
The degree of satisfaction varies with age. Those under 30 are more aware than those over 60. Among the reasons for dissatisfaction, the youngest evoke the fact that the EFS does not quite adapt to the constraints of donors. “The EFS will have to ask itself the question of the cultural adequacy with the new generations”, recommends the study.
The EFS discovered another reason that may explain the differences in donor satisfaction. The type of donation would be the cause. 35% of whole blood donors say they are satisfied with the ease of collection against 44% for donors of apheresis, that is to say either plasma or platelets.
On June 14, the World Blood Donor Day. Throughout the week, the EFS will organize blood drives across France and in the overseas departments and territories.
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