Analysis of pre-donation deferral causes in blood donors at a Rural Medical Institute of Rohilkhand Region, India

Aims: Deferral of potential blood donors due to various reasons at the time of pre-donation medical examination and interrogation leads to the scarcity of blood for the treatment of patients requiring blood transfusion. The aim of this study was to analyze the reasons for deferral and the demographic profile of these deferred blood donors, so that necessary changes in donor recruitment policies could be made in future. Methods: Deferral record of five years from January 2010 to December 2014 which included reasons for deferral and demographic details of both replacement and voluntary blood donors were compiled and analyzed in this retrospective study. SPSS Version 23 was used for data analysis, Z test for difference between two proportions, ? 2 test for association and logistic regression method for odds ratio were used. Results: A total of 12,206 donors were selected for blood donation, comprising 97% males and 3% females. Rate of deferral was 7.9%, rates of deferral being significantly higher in females than males, 6.09% and 45.12% respectively (OR 12.62, p-value < 0.05 at 5% level of significance). Replacement and voluntary donors comprised 86.60% and 13.40% of the total deferred blood donors. Rate of deferral was significantly higher in voluntary donors than replacement donors, 30.47% and 7.17% respectively (OR 5.67, p-value < 0.05 at 5% level of significance). Almost same numbers of donors were deferred from rural (48.80%) and urban areas (51.20%). Educational level had a significant association (? 2 value 63.62) with voluntary and replacement donors at 5% level of significance. Low haemoglobin was the most common cause of deferral among temporary causes (76.89 %) followed by history of jaundice (7.73%) while hypertension was the most common cause of permanent deferral (7.36%)and their prevalence was significantly higher in males (p-value < 0.001 at 1% level of significance). Conclusion: Deferral rate was 7.9% in this study which was comparable to that found in other studies and most of the donors deferred were in the age group of 18-30 years. Replacement donors and males comprised the predominant population; however rates of deferral were significantly higher in females and voluntary donors. Irrespective of gender, low haemoglobin was the most common cause of deferral among temporary causes and hypertension among permanent causes. Level of education had a significant association with voluntary and replacement donors in this study.