Social and psychological factors of blood donors’ recruitment and retention: review of reviews

Abstract

A large amount of empirical material has been accumulated with respect to the attitudes to and determination of such type of prosocial behavior as a donation of blood as well as effective interventions to attract and retain donors. The aim of our work was to systematize and synthesize the data obtained in empirical studies and to build a single model that takes into account both factors of different levels and heterogeneity of the donation itself as a socio-psychological phenomenon. The research method was a review of seven systematic reviews and meta-analysis of empirical studies of blood donation (review of reviews) performed over the past ten years. The main result: a multi-level model of factors for attracting and retaining of blood donors is proposed. Attitudes and behavior in the field of donation are formed at several levels: at the individual-personal level, at the level of the nearest social environment and the external environment, including characteristics of the blood donation system. Interventions - targeted interventions aimed at stimulating blood donation, acting through these “natural” factors or directly and contribute to the advancement of donors along the so-called stages of donor careers - from first-time and novice to regular donation. Despite a significant number of published studies, a more thorough analysis shows that not all the phenomena found in the self-reports of blood donors and its components have been tested in studies with a design that suggests the presence of correlation or causal relationships. Most of the studies reviewed were conducted in western countries. Evaluation of the applicability and effectiveness of the interventions within Russian socio-cultural conditions is a separate important research task.