Analysis of Frequency and Reasons of Blood Donor Deferral in Tertiary Care Hospital Blood Bank

Blood transfusion is lifesaving therapy for many surgical and medical conditions. Blood safety is a major concern in transfusion services. The donor selection criteria are one of the steps ensuring blood safety. However, the selection criteria designed and implemented by regulating authority - The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) leads to blood donor deferral. There is a geographical variation in donor deferral reasons and rates. The deferral impacts the psycho-social behavior of blood donor also. The objective of the study was to determine the blood donor deferral rate and analyze the reasons of the same. Blood donor data was collected from blood donor registry for the period from January 2017 to December 2021. The data was analyzed for frequency and reasons of deferral rate. Out of total 14530 registered blood donors, 814 were deferred for temporary and permanent reasons. The blood donor deferral rate was 5.60 %. Low hemoglobin (236 cases -28.99%) was the commonest reason of deferral. Blood donor deferral may discourage the potential blood donors and may account for inadequate supply of blood for transfusion services. Mass health education and more awareness in population are needed to avoid blood donor deferrals. Effective measures need to be established to bring back the temporary deferral into blood donation donor pool.