Experiences of Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem-cell Donors and Experts of Relevant Institutions

Purpose: This study attempts to explore the experiences of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donation (HSCD) among donors and experts of HSCD-related institutions in South Korea.Methods: In July 2017, 7 donors and 8 experts with experience of HSCD-related work were interviewed.The transcribed data were qualitatively analyzed to identify major themes and sub-themes representing the experiences of the donors and experts.Results: The analysis indicated that donors' HSCD-related experiences were structured into 5 themes ("Lack of understanding of HSCD", "Difficulty in decision-making regarding HSCD", "Major hassles involving HSCD", "Meaningful experiences and hopefulness" and "More effort by government and institutions for future donors").The experts' experiences were structured into 4 themes ("Improving the donation procedure through government support", "Improving the donation procedure through campaign reinforcement", "Donors' characteristics", and "Meaning of my job").Conclusion: HSCD-related institutions must manage donors more carefully.This would involve keeping them aware of what they are likely to experience throughout the donation procedure, follow-up monitoring, and continuous support.Efforts should be taken to inform nurses involved in HSCD of research on donors' experiences, and they must be systematically trained to ease donors' difficulties.