Donor Education Materials

PRE-INTERVIEW STEP 1 OF 5 

YOU MUST READ THIS BEFORE YOU DONATE!

• Your accurate and honest responses are critical to the safety of patients who receive blood transfusions.
• Each question is necessary to fully evaluate the safety of your donation.
• As required by regulations, we are instructing you not to donate blood if you have a risk factor.
• If you don’t understand a question, ask the blood center staff for assistance.
• YOUR RESPONSES ARE CONFIDENTIAL.

To determine if you are eligible to donate, we will:

• Ask about your health and medications you are taking or have taken.
• Ask if you have traveled to or lived in other countries.
• Ask about your risk for infections that can be transmitted by blood – especially HIV (which is the virus that causes AIDS), and viral hepatitis.
• Take your blood pressure, temperature, and pulse.
• Take a blood sample to be sure your blood count is acceptable before you donate.

If you are eligible to donate, we will:

• Clean your arm with an antiseptic (Tell us if you have any skin allergies).
• Use a sterile needle and tubing set to collect your blood.
  We NEVER reuse a needle or tubing set.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR DONATION
To protect patients, your blood is tested for hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis, and other infections. If your blood tests positive, it will not be given to a patient. You will be notified about any positive test result which may affect when you are eligible to donate in the future. There are times when your blood is not tested. If this occurs, you may not receive any notification. The blood center will not release your test results without your written permission unless required by law (e.g., to the Health Department).

DONOR ELIGIBILITY – SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Certain infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, can be spread through:

• Sexual contact
• Other activities that increase risk
• Blood transfusion
  We will ask specific questions about sexual contact and other activities that may increase the risk for these infections.

What do we mean by “sexual contact?”
The words “have sexual contact with” and “sex” are used in some of the questions we will ask you. These questions apply to all of the activities below, whether or not medications, condoms or other protection were used to prevent infection or pregnancy:

• Vaginal sex (contact between penis and vagina)
• Oral sex (mouth or tongue on someone’s vagina, penis, or anus)
• Anal sex (contact between penis and anus)

A “new sexual partner” includes the following examples:

• Having sex with someone for the first time
  OR
• Having had sex with someone in a relationship that ended in the past and having sex again with that person in the last 3 months.

HIV/Hepatitis risk factors
HIV and hepatitis are spread mainly by sexual contact with an infected person OR by sharing needles or syringes used by an infected person to inject drugs.

DO NOT DONATE if you:

• Have EVER taken any medication to treat HIV infection.
• Are taking any medication to prevent HIV infection. These medications may be called: PrEP, PEP, TRUVADA, DESCOVY, APRETUDE or many other names.
  FDA-approved antiretroviral drugs are safe and effective in preventing sexual transmission of HIV. However, these antiretroviral drugs do not fully eliminate the virus from the body, and donated blood can potentially still transmit HIV infection to a transfusion recipient.
  DO NOT STOP TAKING ANY PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS IN ORDER TO DONATE BLOOD, INCLUDING PrEP and PEP MEDICATIONS.

DO NOT DONATE if you:

• Have EVER had a positive test for HIV infection.
• In the past 3 months:
  • Have had sexual contact with a new partner and have had anal sex.
  • Have had sexual contact with more than one partner and have had anal sex.
  • Have had sexual contact with anyone who has ever had a positive test for HIV infection.
  • Have received money, drugs, or other payment for sex.
  • Have used needles to inject drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor.
  • Have had sexual contact with anyone who has received money, drugs, or other payment for sex, or used needles to inject drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by their doctor.
  • Have had syphilis or gonorrhea or been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea.

• In the past 12 months:
  • Have been in juvenile detention, lockup, jail or prison for 72 hours or more consecutively.
• Have EVER had Ebola virus infection or disease.

DO NOT DONATE if you have these symptoms which can be present before you test positive for HIV:

• Fever
• Enlarged lymph glands.
• Sore throat
• Rash
  Your blood can transmit infections, including HIV, even if you feel well and all your tests are normal. Even the best tests cannot detect the virus for a period of time after you are infected.

DO NOT DONATE:

• If you think you may be at risk for HIV or other infections.
• If your purpose for donating is to obtain test results for HIV or other infections. Ask us where you can be tested for HIV and other infections.
• If your donation might harm the patient who receives your blood.

POSSIBLE DONATION COMPLICATIONS / ADVERSE EFFECTS
Most donors tolerate giving blood well, but on occasion reactions and complications may occur. These include bruising, nerve damage, or infection at the puncture site; anxiety; feeling warm or cold; nausea or vomiting; muscle spasms; and dizziness, fainting or loss of consciousness. Injuries from falls following dizziness or fainting may also occur. Such reactions and complications may occur more frequently with younger donors. Our staff is trained to recognize and manage donor reactions. You should take care to listen to all instructions from our staff and to be alert to signs of the above reactions, including during time spent in the recovery area following your donation.

What Happens to the Test Results
You may be asked to speak with one of our IBR medical professionals if your blood tests positive. You may also be asked to return for a follow-up visit and further testing. Your consent will be requested again at that time.
The names of donors whose blood tests positive are kept in confidential files.
These files can be opened solely by authorized IBR personnel.
IBR will not release positive test results without your written consent unless required by law (e.g., to the Health Department, FDA, or by judicial process).
We will not notify you if your test results are negative or if sample tubes do not provide enough blood to complete all laboratory tests.

By providing your telephone number, email address, and/or other contact information to Innovative Blood Resources, during registration or in conjunction with your blood donation, you expressly consent to be contacted by Innovative Blood Resources, and their representatives via mail, email, telephone call and/or text message (including but not limited to calls/texts sent using an automated system and/or prerecorded/artificial voice), regarding, among other things, your current or potential future blood donations, follow-up questions, your health information, test results, and opportunities to engage with Innovative Blood Resources.

You should call our Donor Suitability department at 1-888-235-3301 if, after giving blood you:

• become aware of any information about your health that would affect whether or not we should transfuse your blood.
• believe your blood is not safe for transfusion due to risk factors for HIV, as described above, or any other infectious disease.

Some products used in blood collection contain natural latex rubber, which may cause allergic reactions.