Blood Donation and Transfusion: A Primer for Health Educators

Advent of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s focused attention on the adequacy and safety of the nation's blood supply. Today clinicians assert that the U.S. blood supply is safer than ever before. This paper serves as a primer to health educators on the topic of blood donation and transfusion. Presented are (1) a brief discussion of the nature of human blood, (2) background information on blood transfusion, (3) information about blood donation criteria and the impact of these criteria on the status of the blood supply, (4) a summary of risks related to homologous blood transfusion, (5) a discussion of directed blood donation, (6) a discussion of potential alternatives to homologous transfusion, and (7) a list of resources for education about blood donation and blood transfusion.