Article / Artigo First time blood donors and the pattern of return visits to the public blood bank of Recife

Objective: To analyze the profile of blood donors in respect to the period of the first donation and their return pattern to the public blood bank of Recife. Method: A retrospective study was performed of the data of 363 donors input to the Blood Bank System Database in the period from January 1, 1998 to June 13, 2008. In the analysis, the median number of donations by gender, age and schooling years were evaluated, as well as the association of the time of the first donation with the gender, age and Rh factor. Additionally, the return pattern of 261 of these donors (excluding 100 first time donors and two for lack of precision as to the date of return) was evaluated. Results: Approximately 77.1 % were men, of whom 40.5 % were from 25 to 34 years old, 47.7 % had completed high school and 54 % donated spontaneously. The median number of donations was higher among older men (p = 0.000). The participation of women increased in this period (30.6%) compared to 1998-2000 (4.8%), even so most first-time donors were men (p = 0.003). Of those who donated five or more times, 43.8 % returned for the next donation at an interval of less than six months. More men than women were repeat donors (p = 0.011). Conclusions: the great majority of repeat donors (with a time interval between the last two donations of 13 months or less) is still not close to the maximum possible number of annual donations. It is essential to focus on this group who are potentially more receptive to increasing the effectiveness of recruitment