Text boost for blood donors
A text message alerting blood donors their gift is on its way to save a life is boosting supplies by tapping into the “feel good” factor.
A TEXT message alerting blood donors their gift is on its way to save a life is boosting supplies by tapping into the “feel good” factor that makes people roll up their sleeves in the first place.
Not only does the personalised message increase the number of donors who book another appointment, new research shows they come back two weeks earlier than those who don’t receive a text. The Australian Red Cross Blood Service trial was so successful the SMS system has been rolled out nationally with all donors now receiving a message telling them when their blood is dispatched and which hospital it is going to.
National donor research manager Dr Tanya Davison said only around half of firsttime donors gave blood a second time within two years.
“We always need new do- nors, but it’s important that we encourage existing donors to give regularly because it helps us manage supply,” she said.
In the trial, one half of more than 2000 donors received an SMS, and the other did not.
“We found 56 per cent of new donors who received the SMS returned within a year to give a second donation and that compared with 43 per cent of new donors who didn’t receive it,” Dr Davison said. To donate, call 13 14 95