Sammanfattning
The primary objective of blood banks is to maintain a stable blood supply in order to meet the
hospitals’ demand for blood. This requires, among other things, that donors keep their scheduled
appointments. The reasons underlying missed appointments, however, are unclear. The current
study sought to identify the reasons for missed donation appointments among blood donors.
During the period February-June 2013, telephone interviews with repeat whole-blood donors who had
missed their donation appointments were conducted. We asked them about their reasons for not
keeping their appointments.
Donors who missed appointments were significantly younger than those who kept their appointments
(mean age 41,4 years versus 45,2 years). The results also demonstrated that donors in the two
youngest age groups were about three times more likely to miss their appointment compared to
those in the oldest age group. There were no significant differences between male and female donors
who had missed their appointment with respect to demographic characteristics. The most frequently
given reason for missing appointments was illness (41,0 %) followed by time pressure (27,2 %) and
forgetting the appointment (12,6 %).
In conclusion, there were significant differences between appointment status and donor’s age, but not
their gender. Most of the reasons given for missed appointments seem to be beyond the blood
bank’s control.