title: The effects of a phone call prompt on subsequent blood donation among first-time donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A strategy used by blood centers to retain donors is to place phone call reminders. However, among first-time donors, no studies have tested the effect of this strategy. This was the aim of this study among individuals who had recently given their first lifetime blood donation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental study using a nonequivalent control group was adopted; participants in the control group were donors with blood types B+ and AB+, since these individuals are not phoned by the blood agency. A total of 1604 first-time donors aged 18 to 70 years from the province of Quebec, Canada, were assigned to the experimental (n = 870) or the control (n = 734) group. Participants in the experimental group were phoned a few days before they had a new opportunity to give blood while those in the control condition were not phoned.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the experimental condition, 48.3% of the donors attempted to give blood during the 12-month follow-up period compared to 38.0% in the control condition. The hazards of the first blood donation attempt among donors who were phoned were 32% higher compared to the hazards of those who were not phoned (p = 0.0004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study indicate that a first phone call reminder about the upcoming opportunity to give blood again has a significant positive effect on return rates among first-time donors.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Behavior and Health, Laval University, Héma-Québec, Québec, Canada. gaston.godin@fsi.ulaval.ca
authors.forename: Gaston
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Godin
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amireault
authors.forename: Lydi-Anne
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vézina-Im
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000094902:Blood Banking / Q000379:methods*; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011792:Quebec; D013689:Telephone