(P-BC-84) Use of Mixed Reality During Voluntary Non-remunerated Blood Donation to Strengthen Regularity and Loyalty in Hospital Blood Banks in an Upper-Middle-Income Country (UMIC).

Background/Case Studies: A significant proportion of blood donors may experience physiological discomfort when giving blood, collectively referred to as vasovagal reactions (VVR). The primary determinants associated with the onset of VVR in blood donors are predominantly psychological and are further exacerbated by a reduction in circulating blood volume. Various strategies have been implemented to mitigate these reactions in blood donors, including audiovisual distraction techniques. Emerging Mixed Reality (MR) technology has shown promise in enhancing donor experience by reducing anxiety, potentially improving donor satisfaction and retention. This study explored the effect of MR on the frequency of VVR.

Study

Design/Methods: In total, 488 Voluntary Non-remunerated Blood Donors (VNRBD) who signed informed consent or donation validated by the Colombian National Institute of Health and Institutional Review Board between 07/22-07/24, 2024, at 12 external collection points (ECP) and one institutional collection (ICP) point were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group comprised 303 VNRBDs who gave blood at external and internal collection points. The intervention group comprised 145 VNRBD at three different ECPs on three days. In this group, 12 VNRBD didn’t use MR because they were temporarily deferred for blood donor history questionnaires. The percentage of repeat donors was equivalent among the two groups. The intervention group used the Microsoft® HoloLens 2 MR headset loaded with the Abbott and Blood Centers of America developed software (Paragon®). The headset was placed right before the phlebotomy and was used during the blood collection procedure (8 minutes on average). A clinical pathologist with expertise in blood donation monitored all donations. A STATA®18BE license was used for inferential statistical analysis.

Results/Findings: Table 1 summarizes the demographics and characteristics of the 488 participants. No VVR was reported in either of the two groups. All participants in the intervention group tolerated the MR experience successfully. In addition, Figure 1 showing the experience of a volunteer whole blood donor from the intervention group at an extramural collection point.

Conclusions: This trial could not assess whether MR technology can prevent VVR. However, our results suggest that MR does not increase the frequency of these reactions and is safe for donors during blood collection.
In addition, larger studies are needed to assess the value of this innovation in decreasing donor syncope-related adverse reactions.
Finally, this trial used MR as an innovative, feasible, and safe strategy to enhance donor experience, effectively reducing donor anxiety and potentially increasing donor loyalty to the hospital blood bank.