Yesterday, (June 14), countries across the world celebrated World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
Also commencing this week is a landmark research study by a collaboration between NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, which will help determine whether blood can be safely collected more frequently than present practice.
As the UK population ages, the demand for blood and blood products is likely to increase. One approach to increase blood supplies is to collect blood more frequently from existing donors. However, there is no strong scientific evidence to define the optimum interval between blood donations to maximise blood collections while maintaining donor well-being.
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Image: Donated blood Credit: NHSBT
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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Study to measure optimum frequency of blood donation
15 June 2012
A study commencing in the same week as World Blood Donor Day will determine whether blood can be safely collected more frequently than present practice.