A new study has identified barriers and motivators to blood donation from ethnic minority groups in Ireland.

According to the findings, barriers to blood donations among non-Caucasian respondents included a lack of information and a history of living in a malaria-endemic region.

The study was carried out by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It is hoped that the results will assist in addressing blood shortages in Ireland and enhance the diversity of the blood supply.

Just last March, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) had to import a consignment of blood from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in order to deal with a shortage in its blood supply.

While IBTS occasionally imports a small number of rare blood units, this was the third time in the last year that it had to resort to importing consignments of blood to deal with shortages.

Current shortages have potentially serious consequences for patients who require blood transfusions, particularly patients with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is particularly common among people with an African or Caribbean family background.

This study is the first of its kind to explore the issue of ethnic differences in blood donations across different ethnic groups in Ireland.

The results showed that barriers to blood donations among non-Caucasian respondents included a lack of information and a history of living in a malaria-endemic region. Factors that were found to motivate people from minority ethnic backgrounds to give blood included religious reasons and a desire to help others in their own communities.

“The timing of this research is crucial. Ireland has experienced major blood shortages recently with the result that for the first time in over 30 years, blood has been imported from the UK. There is an urgent need now to increase blood donations, including from people from minority ethnic groups.

“The results of this study help us to understand why these groups are under-represented and will help us to include people from different ethnic backgrounds  in blood donation  in  future, making a huge difference for all patients who need blood transfusions,” commented the study’s lead researcher, Dr Helen Fogarty, of RCSI’s School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences.

The study was developed as part of the RCSI Student Innovation Challenge during the RCSI Research Summer School 2021, which gives students the opportunity to develop solutions to pressing medical needs. Over 380 people took part in the survey that aimed to identify motivators and barriers to blood donation.

The study was a collaboration between RCSI, the haematology department at St James’ Hospital and IBTS in the National Blood Centre, Dublin.

It is hoped that the findings will provide a focus for interventions, including recruitment campaigns, to enhance ethnic diversity and inclusivity among blood donors in Ireland.

The study is published in the journal, Blood Transfusion, and can be viewed here.