Premium
Confidential unit exclusion: the North London Blood Transfusion Centre's experience
Author(s) -
Brennan M. T.,
Hewitt P. E.,
Moore C.,
Hall G.,
Barbara J. A. J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
transfusion medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.471
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1365-3148
pISSN - 0958-7578
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3148.1995.tb00185.x
Subject(s) - medicine , confidentiality , blood transfusion , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , family medicine , surgery , political science , law
SUMMARY. A ‘Confidential AIDS Questionnaire’ has been used at North London Blood Transfusion Centre (NLBTC) donor sessions since July, 1985. The aim of the questionnaire is to encourage self‐exclusion by those donors whose behaviour puts them at risk of HIV infection. In a situation where such individuals cannot avoid donating they can indicate, in confidence, that their blood should not be used for transfusion. Since the introduction of this procedure, an average of 10 donors per month, who admitted relevant risk behaviour, have been permanently excluded and a number of prospective donors have excluded themselves when faced with the questionnaire. We have found the questionnaire to be well accepted by donors. It is a useful adjunct to routine donor selection and microbiological testing of donations in our efforts to minimize transfusion‐transmitted infection.