The role of identity in how whole‐blood donors reflect on and construct their future as a plasma donor

Abstract

In the context of decreased demand for whole-blood and increased demand for plasma-derived products, donors in Australia are increasingly being asked to convert from whole-blood to plasmapheresis donations. Plasmapheresis is a different type of donation to whole-blood as the process takes longer, and can be engaged in more frequently. What is unknown is whether wholeblood donors view donating plasma as consistent with their donor identity, and how they respond to the possibility of donating more frequently. To explore this, we undertook semi-structured telephone interviews with 26 whole-blood donors who had recently made their first plasma donation. Findings indicated that while donating plasma was viewed as a bigger ask than donating whole-blood, the former was viewed as consistent with their identity as a donor because both behaviours were seen to benefit others and self, and were located within the same institutional context. Donating plasma was an opportunity for donors to enhance their self-concept as an altruistic giver. When contemplating their future donation behaviour, donors considered how their donor identity would fit alongside other salient roles. These findings have implications for how institutions can position their request of existing donors to give a different gift.

Understanding donation frequency: insights from current plasma donors

“…These donors acknowledged the need to limit their donations in order to prioritize other commitments and to maintain a sustainable donation practice. This finding is consistent with insights from firsttime plasma donors [14] and suggests that for donors who are busy, making more plasma donations is simply seen as not possible. Further, this finding indicates that frequency of donation may not be closely related to a donor's perceived commitment to donation or donor identity [15].…”

“…For that reason, adopting a flexible donation schedule is key to sustaining their practice, as is developing a sense of donation as a meaningful practice that makes a positive contribution to others. Consistent with this, when communicating with donors about their plasma donation frequency, the emphasis should be on letting donors know that they can donate as frequently as suits them and that they can be flexible, rather than placing too much emphasis on the maximum frequency which is seen as unobtainable for most [14]. Further, the positive contribution that their ongoing donations make to others should continue to be emphasized.…”

“…Further, participants’ responses to questions about their future intentions to donate suggest that being an ongoing plasma donor is important to them. Research shows that a high proportion of Australian blood donors nominate a sense of social responsibility as their reason for donating and that wanting to contribute to the community, as well as altruism, is a reason for becoming regular donors . Canadian research also indicates that some donate because their social networks and communities value and reward this activity .…”

Gone, but haven't forgotten: insights on plasmapheresis donation from lapsed donors

“…Our findings indicate that when donors understand the apheresis procedure, know what to expect, and understand the uses of plasma, they are less likely to be concerned or anxious about any physical sensations that do occur. Other studies have noted the importance of donor centre staff providing reassurance and explanation to first‐time plasma donors, or those considering plasma donation [4,9,12,19–20]. In our study, concerns about the procedure were raised by experienced as well as first‐time donors, indicating BCAs should provide ongoing opportunities for donors to access information and ask questions to allay concerns and normalise any adverse experiences [21].…”

A descriptive phenomenological analysis of the experience of blood donation as a regular donor

“…All participants identified themselves as blood donors and stated that they were proud to be so; this identity seems to become an important part of their lives; for example, Emma said she now gives blood "dutifully" and she is an "advocate" of blood donation. Thorpe, Masser, Jensen, Van Dyke and Davison (2019) argue that identity can be an important motivator for continuing donors, and that this sense of identity tends to become salient around the fifth donation. Our findings therefore concur with the earlier research that suggests donor identity may be significant in influencing the retention of regular donors.…”