Donor understanding and attitudes about current and potential deferral criteria for high‐risk sexual behavior

Mindy Goldman · Qilong Yi · Xibiao Ye · Lorna Tessier · Sheila F. O’Brien

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Blood donation and transfusion practices HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions Organ Donation and Transplantation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Few donor criteria are as contentious as the deferral of men who have had sex with men (MSM). We performed an anonymous donor survey to determine attitudes toward current screening and the feasibility and acceptability of adoption of alternate donor criteria for MSM. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donors who had successfully donated to Canadian Blood Services were randomly mailed an anonymous questionnaire several weeks after donation; there were 40,000 donors sampled, evenly split between first-time and repeat donors. RESULTS: The response rate was 45.5%. The vast majority of donors found the current screening questions and clinic environment acceptable. Attention to clinic educational materials was poor. A total of 53% felt that the MSM criteria should be changed; many were supportive of criteria based on specific behaviors rather than a period of abstinence. Gender-neutral questions such as number of sexual partners would result in deferral of large numbers of donors. CONCLUSION: Many donors would support a change in MSM deferral policy. Implementation of strategies based on donor attention to additional material would be challenging. Universal use of simple gender-neutral questions would result in very high donor loss and are therefore not an acceptable option. The acceptability and feasibility of various screening approaches should be explored further with both donors and advocacy groups.

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2009Infectivity of human immunodeficiency virus‐1, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B virus and risk of transmission by transfusion 1991Risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by blood transfusions before the implementation of HIV‐1 antibody screening 2005The impact of male‐to‐male sexual experience on risk profiles of blood donors 2003Evaluation of the de‐selection of men who have had sex with men from blood donation in England 2003The risks and benefits of accepting men who have had sex with men as blood donors

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2015Blood donor deferral for men who have sex with men: the Blood Donation Rules Opinion Study (Blood DROPS)2014Understanding noncompliance with selective donor deferral criteria for high‐risk behaviors in A ustralian blood donors 2013Three decades of MSM donor deferral policies. What have we learned?2014Sexual risk behaviour and donor deferral in Europe 2020It’s in Me to Give : Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination 2013Compliance with the current 12‐month deferral for male‐to‐male sex in A ustralia 2013Trends in transfusion‐transmissible infections among A ustralian blood donors from 2005 to 2010

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