210 Blood donation in the Global South and among ethnic minorities in the Global North: a scoping review

OP 4: Health Services 2, B302 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 14:30 - 15:30 Aim To identify barriers and facilitators for blood donation around the globe. To explore innovative solutions to overcome barriers and enhance facilitators, promoting long-term donor retention. Methods Literature was retrieved from Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Global Index Medicus, and Embase. We included English-language peer-reviewed studies on barriers, facilitators, knowledge, attitude, practices, and interventions for blood donation in the Global South and studies targeting ethnic minorities in Europe, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Two reviewers scanned all studies along inclusion criteria. Data extraction is currently ongoing. An overview of findings from Sub-Saharan Africa is available. Results In total, 345 studies (1974–2024; 67 Global South countries; 57 studies on ethnic minorities in the Global North) were included. Studies were categorized into WHO regions. Sub-Saharan Africa was further divided into East, West, Southern and Central Africa: East (23 studies: Ethiopia [20], Uganda [2], Tanzania [1]), West (20 studies: Nigeria [13], Ghana [3], Togo [2], Senegal [1]), Southern (7 studies: South Africa [5], Botswana [1], Namibia [1]) and Central Africa (3 studies: Cameroon [3]). Blood donation rates are generally low in Sub-Saharan Africa, despite adequate knowledge and positive attitudes. Older, educated men are most likely to donate. Facilitators include altruism, civic duty, education, staff hospitality, awareness of shortages and incentives, like antenatal registration. Barriers vary: East Africa faces misconceptions and limited donation site access, while West Africa faces fear of infections, religious concerns, and privacy issues. Southern Africa highlights skepticism about racial discrimination, while Central Africa points out time constraints. Conclusion Efforts to improve blood donation should address misconceptions and limited access, while promoting education, transparency, staff hospitality and targeted outreach to key groups, e.g., students and religious communities. A complete analysis of the whole dataset will be conducted in the coming weeks to further explore differences and?inform targeted strategies for improving blood donation globally.