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Evaluation of the impact of a personalized postdonation short messaging service on the retention of whole blood donors
Author(s) -
Gemelli Carley N.,
Carver Alison,
Garn Alana,
Wright Stephen T.,
Davison Tanya E.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/trf.14463
Subject(s) - medicine , short message service , donation , confidence interval , blood donor , psychological intervention , odds ratio , receipt , text messaging , nursing , internet privacy , world wide web , computer science , immunology , economics , economic growth , operating system
BACKGROUND Short messaging service (SMS) is routinely used by blood collection agencies to remind donors about appointments but has been applied less frequently in interventions to increase return behavior. This study aimed to investigate whether receipt of a personalized postdonation SMS promoted donor retention. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A postdonation SMS was sent to 2605 whole blood donors who had donated at one of six donor centers in Australia from April to July 2015 and left without making a forward appointment. Once their donation was dispatched to a hospital or facility an SMS was sent informing the donor of the hospital or town to which their blood was dispatched. Donor's return behavior over 12 months was examined, comparing with a control group of donors who donated at the same donor centers but did not receive an SMS. RESULTS Donors who received the SMS had increased odds of returning to donate within 12 months, with 70.3% of these donors returning (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.30‐1.71), compared with 62.6% of donors who did not receive the SMS. The SMS was effective in retaining first‐time, novice, and established donors at 12 months, but had no effect on experienced donors. The timing of the receipt of the SMS postdonation had no impact on donor retention. CONCLUSION This study highlights the potential of utilizing a postdonation SMS that informs donors where their blood has been dispatched as a cost‐effective tool to increase retention, particularly among new donors, who are traditionally more difficult to retain.