Blood 138 (2021) 4025–4027

63rd ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts

POSTER ABSTRACTS

902.HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH-LYMPHOID MALIGNANCIES

Development and Evaluation of a Library of TikToks to Support Recruitment of Committed Hematopoietic Stem
Cell Donors from Needed Demographic Groups
Brady Park 1,2, Lauren Sano 1,2, Becky Shields 1,3, Sylvia Okonofua 1,4, Mikyla Tak 1,5, Reihaneh Jamalifar 1,6, Aaron Wen 1,6,
Farnaz Farahbakhsh 1,7, Kyla Pires 1,8, Kenyon Nisbett 1,9, Karen Barboza 1,9, Anastasia Pavlenkova 1,10, Shirin Pedram 1,10,
Richard Fattouh 11,12, Alexa Gélinas 11,12, Bilguissou Bah 11,12, Christiane Rochon 11, Mai Duong 11, Warren Fingrut 1,13
1
Stem Cell Club, Toronto, Canada
2
Western University, London, Canada
3
Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
4
University of Regina, Regina, Canada
5
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
6
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
7
Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
8
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
9
University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, Canada
10
Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
11
Swab the World, Montreal, Canada
12
Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
13
Department of Medicine, Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, New York, NY

Abstract Introduction
TikTok is a rapidly growing social media platform that allows users to develop and share short videos. We hypothesized that
a library of videos developed through TikTok (TikToks) would support the recruitment of committed hematopoietic stem cell
donors from needed demographic groups (i.e. young, male, from diverse ancestries).
Methods
Members of the community of practice (CoP) in stem cell donor recruitment in Canada (facebook.com/groups/stemcellclub)
were activated to develop TikToks. Training was provided during e-meetings of the CoP (8/2020, 1/2021, 5/2021) and in a video
published online (stemcellclub.ca/training), highlighting the principles of effective TikTok design. These principles included
the use of engaging hooks, music, and calls to action; short duration (< 30s); high educational value; and appeal to diverse
donors. The training also outlined how to: record content, adjust clip lengths, apply audiovisual effects, and share across
social media platforms. A CoP TikTok committee was formed to develop and review TikToks prior to publication.
Following launch, we evaluated stakeholder perspective on these TikToks and the impact 1) across social and traditional
media and 2) on eligible donors’ knowledge and attitudes towards donation.
Results
Between 9/2020-7/2021, a network of TikTok channels was launched by CoP members, including a national donor recruitment
TikTok library (tiktok.com/@stemcellclub). A total of 217 TikToks were produced across these channels (median length 17s,
range 4-52s), covering a range of educational topics, designed for use in specific recruitment campaigns, and featuring unique
video effects (Fig. A).
The TikToks accumulated over 234,000 Views, 42,000 Likes, 3,000 Comments, and 14,200 Shares on TikTok, were re-
published by Canadian media outlets (e.g. CBC [twitter.com/cbcnewsbc/status/1361511367426080773], CTV News
[ctvnews.ca/health/meet-the-women-hoping-to-recruit-more-stem-cells-donors-from-black-communities-1.5314038,
ctvnews.ca/health/pride-month-tiktok-drive-encourages-stem-cell-donations-from-gay-bi-men-1.5475113], Victoria News
[vicnews.com/news/most-black-canadians-wont-find-a-stem-cell-donor-in-time-this-group-is-working-to-change-that]) and
were highlighted by major medical organizations (e.g. Canadian Blood Services [blood.ca/en/stories/meet-stem-cell-club,
blood.ca/en/stories/stem-cell-club-volunteers-aim-save-lives-pride-month-campaign], American Association of Blood Banks

© 2021 by The American Society of Hematology 5 NOVEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 138, NUMBER Supplement 1 4025
POSTER ABSTRACTS Session 902

[aabb.org/news-resources/news/article/2021/02/01/twitter-tiktok-aabb-virtual-journal-club-assesses-use-of-multimedia-
resources-for-donor-recruitment]).
33 CoP members from 6 provinces across Canada, with a median of 2 years of recruitment experience, completed a post-
launch survey. The majority felt that TikToks promote donation in an attention-grabbing way (94%), engage younger donors
(100%), and teach key points in a short time period (94%). The majority were confident in their ability to make TikToks (63%),
but felt they would benefit from additional training (63%).
46 eligible stem cell donors (from 12 different non-Caucasian ancestral groups; living in 5 provinces across Canada) completed
surveys evaluating the impact of TikToks on their knowledge and attitudes towards donation. No participants were registered
as donors and only four had a personal connection to an individual who needed a stem cell transplant. After being shown a
series of TikToks, mean scores on a 6-question stem cell donation knowledge test improved from 59% to 73% (p=0.0012) (Fig.
B); mean scores on a modified Simmons Ambivalence Scale decreased from 52% to 30% (p<0.0001) (Fig. C); and participants
were more willing to register as donors (70% vs. 39%, p=0.0011). Participants reported that viewing TikToks positively impacted
on their decision to register (87%), helped them understand stem cell donation (89%), and would help them talk about stem
cell donation with friends/family (78%).
Conclusions
We report the first published experience using TikToks in a donor recruitment context. Our TikToks achieved significant social
and traditional impact in a short period of time, and supported recruitment of committed stem cell donors from needed
demographic groups. Our work is relevant to recruitment organizations worldwide seeking to modernize their recruitment
approaches.

Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2021-153165

4026 5 NOVEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 138, NUMBER Supplement 1 ABSTRACTS

POSTER ABSTRACTS Session 902
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ABSTRACTS 5 NOVEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 138, NUMBER Supplement 1 4027