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Blood Safety
Lines of Safety
The top priority of the American Red Cross Blood Services is
safety - for both the blood donor and the transfusion recipient.
- The Best Source
Since all blood the Red Cross collects comes from healthy
donors, any incentives that could induce an unhealthy person to
donate are eliminated.
- Education
Before anyone donates blood, the Red Cross provides donors with
a comprehensive list of risk behaviors for infectious diseases.
Donors are encouraged to defer themselves if any of these
reasons apply to them.
- Pre-Check
Using a hand-held computer, Red Cross staff cross checks the
potential donor's social security number against the donor
deferral registry to confirm that the individual is indeed
eligible to donate on this date.
- The Personal Interview
Through personal interviews, Red Cross health professionals
screen every single donor to determine whether there is any
reason why that individual should not be donating. If even one
reason is discovered, the person will not be allowed to donate.
- The Donor Call Back Card
The Red Cross provides every donor a card listing a toll-free
number which he/she can call later if a donor learns of any
reason why his/her blood should not be used. For example, if a
donor comes down with flu symptoms soon after donating, the Red
Cross should know to avoid transfusing a hospital patient with
that blood.
- Rigorous Laboratory Testing
Only if a donation makes it through the first five safety steps
does it enter the laboratory for testing.
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