The WHO guidelines on assessing donor suitability for blood donation have been developed to assist blood transfusion services in countries that are establishing or strengthening national systems for the selection of blood donors. They are designed for use by policy makers in national blood programmes in ministries of health, national advisory bodies such as national blood commissions or councils, and blood transfusion services.

Contents

• Executive summary
• Acronyms
• Preface
• Policy recommendations
• Technical recommendations
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 BLOOD DONOR SELECTION
  • 1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
  • 1.3 TARGET AUDIENCE
  • 1.4 METHODOLOGY
• 1. National system for blood donor selection
  • 2. Establishing a national system for blood donor selection
    • 2.1 NATIONAL POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
    • 2.2 NATIONAL GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA ON BLOOD DONOR SELECTION
    • 2.3 PUBLIC INFORMATION AND DONOR EDUCATION
    • 2.4 INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES
    • 2.5 FINANCIAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES
    • 2.6 QUALITY SYSTEM
    • 2.7 DONOR HAEMOVIGILANCE
    • 2.8 MONITORING AND EVALUATION
  • 3. Assessing donor suitability
    • 3.1 DONOR SELECTION PROCESS
    • 3.2 DONOR DEFERRAL
    • 3.3 DONOR RECORDS
    • 3.4 CONFIDENTIAL UNIT EXCLUSION (CUE)
    • 3.5 ADVERSE DONOR REACTIONS AND POST-DONATION CARE
• 2. Criteria for blood donor selection
  • 4. General donor assessment
    • 4.1 AGE
    • 4.2 DONOR APPEARANCE AND INSPECTION
    • 4.3 MINOR ILLNESSES
    • 4.4 WEIGHT
    • 4.5 VITAL SIGNS
    • 4.6 DONOR IRON STATUS
    • 4.7 FLUID INTAKE AND FOOD
    • 4.8 GENDER
    • 4.9 OCCUPATION AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
    • 4.10 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR DONOR SELECTION FOR APHERESIS DONATIONS
  • 5. Donor medical history I: Non-communicable diseases
    • 5.1 HAEMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS
    • 5.2 CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
    • 5.3 RESPIRATORY DISEASES
    • 5.4 GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES
    • 5.5 METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE DISEASES
    • 5.6 IMMUNOLOGICAL DISEASES
    • 5.7 RENAL AND URINARY TRACT DISEASES
    • 5.8 CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES
    • 5.9 MALIGNANT DISEASES
    • 5.10 MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
    • 5.11 SKIN DISEASES
    • 5.12 PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
  • 6. Donor medical history II: Medical and surgical interventions
    • 6.1 IMMUNIZATIONS AND VACCINATIONS
    • 6.2 MEDICATIONS
    • 6.3 BLOOD TRANSFUSION AND TRANSPLANTATION
    • 6.4 DIAGNOSTIC AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES
    • 6.5 ALTERNATIVE, COMPLEMENTARY AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
  • 7. TTI and donor risk assessment
    • 7.1 TRANSFUSION-TRANSMISSIBLE INFECTIONS
    • 7.2 DONOR RISK ASSESSMENT
    • 7.3 VIRAL INFECTIONS
    • 7.4 PROTOZOAL INFECTIONS
    • 7.5 BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
    • 7.6 RICKETTSIAL INFECTIONS
    • 7.7 PRION DISEASES
    • 7.8 COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE AND TRAVEL HISTORY
    • 7.9 HIGH-RISK BEHAVIOURS
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements
• Annexes
  • Annex 1 International and national guidelines
  • Annex 2 Example of a blood donor questionnaire
  • Annex 3 Literature search strategies and decision-making process for formulation of recommendations

Development of this publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number PS024044 from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.

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