Blood donations are a rather life-saving and impactful procedure nowadays. They are used for helping people who experienced accident injuries, cancer or anemia. Unfortunately, there are some severe issues, such as insufficient blood supply during the pandemic, motivation problems of first-time and repeat blood donors and appropriate recommendations. The information regarding donations has been gathered through research from valid sources. I think it is crucial to understand the importance of donating blood. For my speech, I plan to cover the need for blood, why donations are important and shortage of blood during the pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic is the main event that raised awareness of the importance of blood donations. While the first months of the pandemic featured a 50 percent reduction in supply, it was compensated by a decrease in demand due to elective surgery restrictions. However, after the country reopened and healthcare services continued working, there has been an increase in blood consumption (Sailant et al., 2022).
The American Red Cross called for blood and platelet donors due to the severe blood shortage. The organization will require 10000 extra blood products every week to combat the issue and meet the patients’ needs. This case is the consequence of an overburdened and overconsumed healthcare system. According to the American Red Cross, every 2 seconds, a US resident requires blood or platelets (American Red Cross, n. d.). They cannot be created artificially, only collected from volunteer donors. One donation can be life saving for more than one person. This procedure helps people injured in accidents, cancer patients and children with anemia (Jimenez, 2023). That way, the value of blood donations is emphasized and clearer.
Another important aspect is the donors’ motivation, which can affect the blood supply. Voluntary blood donation is a guaranteed measure to ensure a sufficient amount of safe blood to follow the national requirement of blood transfusion (Mohammed & Essel, 2018). In most countries, blood donation systems require family replacement donors, which is insufficient to meet clinical blood demands. Life is oftentimes extremely unpredictable, so one day we may need blood from donations as well.
Fortunately, there are some measures that can be taken to improve the situation. First, clinical context, alternative therapies and the hemoglobin levels need to be considered in the process. According to recommendation 1, a restricted red blood cell (RBC) transfusion with the 7 g/dL is advised for hemodynamically stable adult patients, as well as clinically sick ones (Carson et al., 2016). A transfusion of 8 g/dL is required for cardiac surgery individuals and those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Recommendation 2 states that patients, as well as neonates, should acquire RBC units chosen at any point in their licensed dating period.
A new format known as the Evidence Corner could help with professional systematic reviews or randomized controlled trials. It can depict main characteristics of a trial and the results, background and limitations. For example, according to a recent study, a higher transfusion threshold of < 50 x 109/L for prophylactic platelets is not defined and may be damaging (Roberts, 2019). Finally, educating patients to increase donation motivation and prompts for them to donate during a shortage could resolve this problem. Lack of motivation can be explained by cultural beliefs or mistreatment from staff, which is why these issues need to be addressed to make donations more accessible.
In conclusion, there has been a shortage of blood supply after the pandemic. Multiple patients with anemia, cancer or accident-related injuries require blood. Just like platelets, it cannot be created artificially, requiring voluntary blood donations. In order to resolve the problem, it is crucial to improve donor motivation, follow recommendations while considering clinical context and alternative therapies. Finally, a new format of research called Evidence Corner could be beneficial to donations by providing extra information.
References
American Red Cross. (n.d.). US blood supply facts. Web.
Carson, J. L., Guyatt, G., Heddle, N. M., Grossman, B. J., Cohn, C. S., Fung, M. K., … Tobian, A. A. (2016). Clinical practice guidelines from the AABB. JAMA, 316(19), E1-E11. Web.
Jimenez, H. (2023). Why is blood donation important? Web.
Mohammed, S., & Essel, H. B. (2018). Motivational factors for blood donation, potential barriers, and knowledge about blood donation in first-time and repeat blood donors. BMC Hematology, 18(1). Web.
Roberts, D. J. (2019). Evidence cornered. Transfusion Medicine, 29(1), 3-3. Web.
Saillant, N. N., Kornblith, L. Z., Moore, H., Barrett, C., Schreiber, M. A., Cotton, B. A., … Cap, A. P. (2022). The national blood shortage—An impetus for change. Annals of Surgery, 275(4), 641-643. Web.