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Background Methods and Results Conclusions Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation remains limited when stem cell registrants cannot be contacted, are not medically fit, are unavailable, or unwilling to proceed. In a recent report, registrants who were prior blood donors were more likely to be available for donation. In this study, we analyzed extent to which recruiting blood donors to the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry (CBS SCR) can meet targets for ethnic diversity, age, and proximity to collection facilities.We analyzed 124,496 active blood donors on July 1, 2023 regarding the criteria for recruitment to the CBS SCR. A total of 40,518 (32%) were younger than 36 years of age and 49% were first‐time donors (potential new recruits year over year). The ethnicity of blood donors younger than 36 years aligns more closely with the 2021 Canadian census compared to stem cell donors who were also previous blood donors, and to the current total inventory of all registrants on the CBS SCR. Of the blood donors, certain ethnic groups, including Black, Chinese, and First Nations/Indigenous, remain underrepresented. A greater proportion of active whole blood donors live within 400 km of a stem cell collection center (91%) compared to stem cell donors who donated during the past 10 years (80%).Recruitment of blood donors offers an opportunity to improve the ethnic diversity of the CBS SCR and increase proximity of registrants to stem cell collection centers. The potential improved availability of registrants when matched to patients requires confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stories are powerful in their ability to disseminate information in a meaningful way. We hypothesized that a stem cell donation story library optimized for social media could support the education and recruitment of committed unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donors from needed demographic groups.Study Design and Methods: We developed Why We Swab, a library of stories on stem cell donation (facebook.com/WhyWeSwab; instagram.com/WhyWeSwab; twitter.com/WhyWeSwab), and evaluated its impact across social and traditional media as well as on eligible potential donors' knowledge and attitudes towards donation.Results: As of December 2021, the library included 28 story arcs featuring 45 storytellers from diverse ancestral backgrounds, including 8 donor-recipient stories. Overall, the stories reached >92,000 people across social media. Notably, stories were republished by 18 print/ broadcast media outlets in Canada and by major medical organizations. A series of stories shown to 33 eligible potential donors improved mean total scores on a donation knowledge test (64% to 85%, p < 0.001), reduced mean ambivalence scale scores (3.85 to 2.70, p < 0.001), and improved participants' willingness to register as donors (45% to 73%, p < 0.005). Data are also shown demonstrating that stakeholders valued the library and that its deployment was associated with improved donor recruitment outcomes in Canada.Conclusion: Why We Swab is accessible and relevant to a wide audience, including stem cell donor registries and recruitment organizations seeking to improve their recruitment efforts as well as to blood and organ & tissue donation organizations who can adapt the Why We Swab model to their audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Checklists are memory recall tools used across healthcare to improve outcomes. Here, we describe the development and evaluation of checklists to support recruitment of committed allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell donors. Study Design and Methods: Checklists were developed with the following objectives: (1) improve best‐practice adherence; (2) reduce errors; and (3) support standardization at stem cell drives. Topics included: recruiting needed donors; securing informed consent; maintaining good‐documentation practices; and supervising registration and tissue sample collection. Checklists were iteratively revised with input from stakeholders. We evaluated the checklists by examining recruitment outcomes and errors (i.e., preventing registrants from being listed as donors) pre‐ (11/2011–8/2016) and post‐ (9/2016–11/2019) implementation by the Canadian donor recruitment organization Stem Cell Club. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze recruiters' perspectives on the checklists. Results: The checklists supported recruitment of donors from needed demographic groups as Stem Cell Club expanded its recruitment effort from 4118 registrants (60% male, 58% non‐European) pre‐implementation to 10,621 (52% male, 56% non‐European) post‐implementation. Checklist implementation was associated with a marked reduction in errors (from 13.2% to 1.9%) and a three‐fold increase in the match rate of recruited donors (from 0.024% to 0.075%). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of recruiter feedback supported that the checklists' objectives were realized from the recruiter perspective. Discussion: We developed checklists to support donor recruitment and showed that their implementation was valued by recruiters and associated with both reduced errors and improved donor recruitment outcomes. The checklists are relevant to donor recruitment organizations worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: O-negative donors are a critical resource for blood collection agencies, and their recruitment and retention provides an ongoing challenge. Motivational interviewing shows promise as a tool to promote donor retention, although concerns about scalability remain. The current study examined the effect of an automated Web-based interview drawing on motivational interviewing and self-determination theory on O-negative donors' motivation, intention, and behavior.Study Design and Methods: Within 13 days of donating, 2820 O-negative donors completed baseline measures of motivation and intention before being randomly assigned to complete either a motivational interview (MI) or active control interview (ACI). Motivation and intention were assessed at 2 days and at 7 weeks after participation in the MI or ACI, with return behavior tracked for 6 months following trial completion.Results: Changes in donor motivation and intention, rate, and time to return did not vary by participation in the MI or ACI. When compared with O-negative donors who experienced business-as-usual practices, donors completing the MI or ACI returned to donate more, and they returned more quickly. However, subsequent exploratory analyses considering the behavior of those who did not accept the invitation to participate and those who completed only baseline measures showed that the improved return behavior of donors in the MI or ACI conditions was likely not due to any specific properties of the MI or ACI activities.Conclusions: Australian O-negative donors were highly internally motivated and committed to donating. An automated Web-based motivational interview appears to be of limited effectiveness in promoting the return of such donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Greater use of unrelated donors to support hematopoietic cell transplantation can be hampered by unavailability of registrants when identified as potential candidates for donation. Methods: Multivariate analysis was performed to identify donor factors associated with availability for verification of human leukocyte antigen typing (VT) needed before donor activation. All VT requests for registrants on the Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry between 1 January and 31 December 2018 were reviewed (n = 1358). Results: Potential donors identified by transplant centers were categorized as available at the time of VT but ineligible for medical or other reasons (n = 130 and excluded from further analysis), available (n = 622) or unavailable (n = 566) due to scheduling, loss of interest, and/or inability to contact. With multivariate analysis, registrants who previously donated blood, those recruited online or from blood donation clinics, and a shorter interval between registration and VT request were significantly correlated with increased donor availability. Donor sex and geographic location, however, displayed no correlation. Conclusion: Online registration and recruitment at whole blood donation centers should be enhanced to increase the availability of registrants at VT. More insight is needed to maintain registrant availability following community in‐person recruitment events, especially if the interval between registration and activation is prolonged. Recruitment of male registrants who are well informed should not negatively impact availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seroreactivity with COVID-19 antibody testing in CCP donors presenting without a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test Following serologic testing implementation, the ARC transitioned to qualifying donors without requiring diagnostic test proof, allowing donors to self-report previous diagnostic testing positivity. Our seroreactivity evaluation in CCP donors presenting with and without a diagnostic COVID-19 PCR test highlights the importance of testing to enrich for donors with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. [Extracted from the article]