Blood donation in Italy: a pedagogical study to educate young people to donate blood

Data on blood and plasma donation in Italy outline a national emergency: the age of donors is steadily increasing, and plasma collection is insufficient to cover the national need for immunoglobulins needed to treat rare diseases. Increasingly, people are forced to turn to the international market to purchase plasma-derived products where prices are continually rising. Systematic actions to recruit young periodic donors are therefore proving essential to ensure many more years of donation to the system and to promote healthy lifestyles and preventive health care in the population. Based on these thoughts, this research project investigates the socioeducational characteristics and motivations of the whole blood donor population and potential donors to intercept the personal, social, and cultural variables that influence the choice to donate and not to donate. Donor profiling and monitoring of blood donation choices and uses will be aimed at a later stage, at better targeting education and awareness campaigns regarding the benefits of plasmapheresis and blood donation