Assessment of Peri-Donation Undesirable Events among Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donors: Experience at a Private Blood Banking and Donor Recruitment Centre in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Background: There has been an increasing blood shortage in sub-saharan Africa. Much progress has not been made in voluntary blood donation and retention of blood donors. This makes availability of safe blood in our blood banks very difficult. Undesirable events during blood donation are some of the reasons that would discourage blood donors from coming back to donate again. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and make assessment of these adverse events. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out for a period of 11months at a private blood banking facility in Benin City, Nigeria. Semi–structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect vital information from consenting respondents. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS software version 23. Approval for this study was granted by Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Edo University, Iyamho. Results: A total of 2,229 people donated blood during the study period. Forty-seven had blood donation adverse events giving a prevalence of 2.1%. The mean age was 24.15+6.74 years. Females were 74.5% while males were 25.5%. The adverse events were dizziness (70.2%), Fainting (17.0%), weakness (8.5%) and vomiting (4.3%). Conclusion: The prevalence of adverse events is low in a private blood bank facility similar to public institutions. The adverse events were mainly mild complaints due to vasovagal reactions. We recommend more counselling sessions and other modalities to allay the fears of potential blood donors.