Fear of donation-related stimuli across different levels of donation experience and types of donation (whole-blood and plasma): A cross-sectional study in Italian donors.

Background: Donation-related fears are prevalent even among regular donors and can hinder both recruitment and retention. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of these fears in Italian whole-blood and plasma donors, across different levels of donation experience.

Study design and methods: A sample of 615 voluntary, unpaid donors from Italy (64.1% male, mean age 45.42 ± 11.80 years) completed an online survey assessing their fear of common donation-related stimuli (fear of blood, needles, pain, and fainting), experience of vasovagal symptoms at the last donation, and their intention to donate again. Donors were grouped based on donation history and their most recent donation type (whole-blood or plasma).

Results: A significant negative relationship was found between donation history and most types of donation-related fears, suggesting that greater experience corresponds to reduced fear. Plasma donors reported lower levels of fear across all stimuli compared to whole-blood donors. Despite this, nearly one-third of the most experienced whole-blood donors and 20% of plasma donors still reported some level of fear. Greater fear was associated with increased reports of pain and vasovagal symptoms during donation, regardless of donation type. However, no significant association emerged between donation-related fears and the intention to donate again.

Discussion: Donation-related fear persists even among experienced donors, for both whole-blood and plasma donors. Given its potential to impact donor comfort and retention, the assessment and management of donation-related fears should be integrated into donor care, with appropriate strategies to help donors regulate their fear throughout their donation careers.