Frequency of Blood Donor Deferrals in Urban Population among Random Voluntary Donors and Evaluation of Gross Differences in Various Study Groups

Introduction: The most important aspect of the blood donor selection criteria is the selection of Healthy donors for donating blood to safeguard the health of the donor as well as the patient. Based on the selection criteria donors are considered either fit or unfit (deferred) to donate blood. Aim: Primary aim of the study is to analyze and evaluate the various causes of donor deferrals in comparison to different regional studies with special emphasis on temporary donor deferrals, in order to retain them as potential future donors. Materials & Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with available data of all donors registered between May 2022 and Dec 2023. Donor deferral data was analyzed for various causes of deferral patterns. Results: A total of 2003 donors registered for voluntary blood donation out of which 244(80.79%) were accepted for donation and 302(15.07 %.) were deferred for various reasons. Total number of temporary deferrals were 244(80.79%) and permanent deferrals were 58(19.20%). Discussion: The overall deferral rate in this study was 15.48%. Low Hemoglobin (36.09%) was the commonest cause for temporary deferral and the commonest age group which had maximum deferrals was 18---25 yrs. Hypertension was the main cause of permanent deferral. Conclusion: The incidence of donor deferral can be reduced by furnishing the appropriate information related to blood donations and educating the general public and blood donors through awareness programs. Follow up of the donors must be encouraged to remove the negative feeling in deferred donors to make them potential future donors.