BLOOD DONATION INFORMATION - Irish Blood Transfusion Service

BLOOD DONATION INFORMATIONobliged to forward your personal detailsincluding your name and address andthe results of your blood tests.Your blood is also tested to determineyour blood group. In additionsupplementary tests may be carriedout on selected donations, for exampleto meet the special needs of certainpatients such as babies. These extratests include more detailed bloodgrouping, a test for sickle cell traitand, very occasionally, tests for otherrelevant proteins in the blood. Wewill notify you of any results that mayaffect your health. The range of bloodtests carried out by the IBTS is underregular review and other tests may beintroduced in the future. We freeze asmall sample of your blood and retainit indefinitely. This is done in caseit becomes necessary to carry outadditional tests at a later date.False Reactions in our TestsWe have to carry out a range of tests oneach donation. In a small percentage ofdonors, the donor’s blood gives a falsereaction in our tests (a false positivereaction). Whilst there are no healthimplications for the donor, such testingproblems prevent use of the blood. Youwill be informed of such false reactionsif they occur. For further information seeour leaflet on False Positive Reactions.Using Blood for Research andDevelopmentWe would like donors to know that, onoccasion, their blood may be used forpurposes other than direct transfusionto patients. We sometimes use parts ofdonations that are not given to patientssuch as white cells, or donations thathave not been used within their shelflife, for laboratory work, educationand training, or for research anddevelopment within the IBTS, the HealthService or the Universities/Institutes ofTechnology. The IBTS does not receiveany payment for this service.As part of our commitment to a highquality service, on occasion, donationsthat are within their shelf life areused for validation/quality assurancepurposes within the IBTS. This couldhappen for example, when a new bloodpack or filter is introduced to ensurethat it meets all the required standards.Another example would be wheredonated blood or blood samples areused to validate test kits and equipmentand in the assessment of a new bloodscreening test. These samples mayalso be used to provide information fordonors on the risk of screening positivein a new test, or to provide estimatesof the rate of other infections in thepopulation. If part of a donation orsamples is used for these purposes,we will ensure, where appropriate, thatyou cannot be identified so that thereis no link between any personablyidentifiable data and the sample(unlinked, anonymised testing) andthat approval from an ethics committeeis obtained where necessary.Using blood in all of the above ways isof benefit to patients. By signing theDonor Declaration on the health andlifestyle questionnaire you are givingconsent to proceed with the donationand that your donation may be used forany of the purposes outlined above.We would also like our donors to knowthat at times their blood is not used.This may happen if the donation was nota complete donation or if the donation isnot used before its expiry date.Use of plasmaEvery whole blood donation is made upof red cells, white cells and platelets,which are suspended in plasma,Please read this information carefullyPAGE 6 OF 7 BT 353-2 Jan 2010