Blood donation and donor recruitment in Iran from 1998 through 2007: ten years' experience

BACKGROUND: Recruiting and retaining blood donors is of utmost importance, especially since there is no alternative for human blood. This article describes different aspects of blood donation to evaluate recruitment activities. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were obtained from annual reports made by the Statistical Committee of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization and the national database. RESULTS: The trend in yearly blood donations has significantly increased from 1,183,630 blood units in 1998 to 1,735,008 by the end of 2007. During this period the overall growth rate was 59.8% (p < 0.005). Yearly blood donation in the northwest region of the country was 13 per 1000 in contrast to 39 per 1000 in the central region. There was a significant decrease in the number of donations during the months of April, September, and January whereas in May, August, and the religious month of Muharram a significant increase was noted. Voluntary donations increased from 77% in 1998 to 100% by the end of 2007. CONCLUSION: Continuous donor recruitment efforts in Iran have resulted in a significant increase in blood donation rates during the past decade as well as achieving 100% voluntary, nonremunerated blood donors. Nevertheless some provinces will have to put more effort into donor recruitment and retention so as to ensure self sufficiency in their blood supply. Educating blood donors and the public about the continuous need for a sufficient blood supply in every community is equally important and times where supply exceeds demand should be avoided at the most.