ACKNOWLEDMENTS

Some slides were adapted from

the presentation of
DR. MILAGROS VIACRUCIS

PRE-DONATION
COUNSELING
of Blood Donors
Dr. Halide A. Tangarorang
Dr. Milagros Viacrucis
Dr. Antonio Emmanuel Villafania

Philippine Blood Coordinating Council

Task Force on Donor Recruitment, Retention & Recall
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Core Topics

• Introduction- Counseling

• Flow Chart of Stages in Blood Donor Selection and

Counseling

• Objectives of Pre-donation counseling

• Pre-donation Information

• Pre-donation counseling SOP

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Counseling

• Counseling is the advice and support that is given

to an individual to help them deal with problems,
make important decisions, etc.

• Essential part of achieving the primary goal of

providing adequate and safe blood and blood
products.

3
Blood Donation Counseling

• Pre-donation and post-donation

• Pre-donation information precedes pre-donation
counseling
• Self-administered
• encourage appropriate donor self-deferral

• Post-donation/post-test counseling (separate lecture)

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Flow Chart on the Stages
of Donor Selection and Counseling
Pre-donation Information
Healthy
Lifestyle &
Disease ?
Self-deferral
Prevention DHQ & Physical Assessment
Practiced

?
Pre-donation Counseling Deferral

Informed consent & blood

?
Self-deferral/Deferral
donation with CUE Referral for
Support Service
?
Blood Unit Testing Unit Exclusion

NR
? R
Unit Disqualification

Post-donation Information &

Counseling for Retention +
Post-donation Counseling
Confirmatory
Test ?

- Rescreen

NR ? R

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Pre-Donation Counseling
• Advice provided to potential donors given in
privacy before blood donation is collected
• After the Pre-donation Information and filling up
the DHQ (self-administered)
• As a routine mandatory step in donor selection for
every donor and prior to every donation
• Counseling a deferred donor
• temporary
• permanent

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Pre-Donation Counseling

• Quality donor care throughout the process

• Suitable, safe facilities (AV privacy)

• Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Well-trained staff
• Sensitivity and good communication skills
• Donor confidentiality and privacy
• Two-way communication

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Objectives
1. Increase donor awareness

• HIV and other TTIs

• Implications and consequences of donating

during the “window period”

• Implications and consequences of being tested

reactive and/or confirmed positive for HIV,
hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis

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Window Period
HBV : 59 days
HCV : 82 days
HIV-1 : 21 days
Window Period

False Negative
Immune reaction

Serological positive

Infection Time
9
Window Period

• Although available tests for TTIs are very sensitive

• Still the risk that infected blood will not

be detected during the “window period”

• Need for DONOR SELECTION

• adequate pre-donation information
• Interview & counseling

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Objectives
2. To discourage unfit blood donation

• People use the VBD system for free testing

• People with high-risk behavior or risk factors for

the TTIs.

• To encourage self deferral

• By voluntary self exclusion
• By CUE

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Objectives
3. To promote healthy lifestyle and regular blood
donation among TTI - sero negative donors

4. Administer effectively the informed consent to

donate: explained and obtained

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Potential Benefits
• Improved blood safety

• Reduced wastage of blood units

• Reduced wastage of materials used in collection

and testing

• Reduced prevalence of TTIs in the donor

population

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Topics Covered
1. Knowledge of HIV and Other Transfusion
Transmissible Infections (TTIs)

2. Behavior risk history assessment

3. Information on the donation process

4. Psychosocial Factors and Knowledge

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Checklist
1. Knowledge of HIV and Other Transfusion
Transmissible Infection (TTIs)

• Transmission awareness and understanding

• Implication of donation during the “window
period” and false negative test result
• Previous request for test for TTIs
• when and why?
• Personal acquaintance and involvement with
people with HIV

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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Checklist
2. Risk History Assessment

• Nature of sexual activities

• frequency and number
• Injecting drug use and sharp instrument sharing
• Recent illness and symptoms
• Family history of illness
• Blood and blood product transfusions, and
invasive procedures (tattooing, body piercing)
• Previous paid blood donations
• Other high-risk behavior/factors associated with
TTIs
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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Checklist
3. Donation Information
• Donation procedure explained and understood
• Pre-donation preparations: meals, hydration,
etc
• Donation intervals
• Meaning and reasons
• Donor self-deferral
• CUE
• Informed consent to donate explained and
obtained
• Potential adverse reactions
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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Checklist
4. Psychosocial Factors and Knowledge

• Blood need of the community

• Who can and can’t donate and why?

• to avail of free-testing?

• Significance and interpretation of positive and

negative test results,
• including implications for behavior change
(healthy lifestyle) and prevention
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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Additional Guidelines
1. Go through the completed DHQ with the donor,
especially questions 10 – 13.

2. If the donor has not read the “Pre-donation

Information Material” he cannot proceed with the
donation process.

3. Explain the procedure for CUE

4. Review the content of the informed consent, and

remind the donor that he is free to withdraw his
decision to donate blood anytime during the process

5. Provide information materials on VBD and give

instructions for post donation self-care 19
Pre-Donation Counseling:
Helpful Tips
1. Have an approved SOP and trained staff

2. Communication script on what to inform

donors during the counseling

3. After every discussion point, ask potential donor

if he/she has any questions.

4. Prepare standard answers to “Frequently Asked

Questions”-Annex to SOP
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Pre-Donation Counseling:
Key Points
• To attain adequate safe blood, effective pre-
donation information and discussion are vital and
mandatory activities of the BSFs
• Pre-donation information and counseling enables
potential donors to assess their suitability to
donate blood and to defer themselves if
appropriate
• BSF Staff and volunteers must be trained to
enable them to do effective blood donor
information and counseling
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 ACKNOWLEDMENTS
Some slides were adapted from
the presentation of
DR. MILAGROS VIACRUCIS

Thank You!

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