Barriers and motivations to voluntary blood donation in sub-Saharan African settings: a literature review

BackgroundVoluntary blood donor recruitment and retention in sub-Saharan Africa needs to be strengthened. To do this, an understanding of the factors underpinning people's willingness or refusal to donate is essential; yet there has been little attention to these in sub-Saharan African contexts. This overview of studies explores attitudes of blood donors, non-donors and potential donors towards voluntary blood donation in a range of sub-Saharan African settings.MethodsA structured literature search was conducted between January and May 2014 based on the Overseas Development Institute's evidence-focused literature review methodology.ResultsThe review identified 22 individual studies across ten countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The main barriers to donation related to health concerns and fears and to a lack of knowledge; socio-cultural and practical barriers were less dominant. Important motivating factors included saving a relative, friend or other person's life, and access to adequate information. Across the studies, respondents reported eagerness to receive a range of incentives besides money.ConclusionsMultiple barriers and motivations to donation exist in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are common to developed countries. Variations between settings highlight the importance of context-specific evidence to inform donor recruitment and retention strategies.To read the article, click here. Payment of subscription is required to access the full article.Burzynski, E. S., Nam, S. L., & Le Voir, R. (2016). Barriers and motivations to voluntary blood donation in sub-Saharan African settings: a literature review. ISBT Science Series, (Early online publication).