A study suggests that people are most likely to donate blood when there is a monetary incentive.
The World Health Organization set an objective in 1997 for all blood donations to come from unpaid volunteer donors. However, as of 2006, only 29 out if 124 countries were compliant according to a survey. In the United States, donors are still paid.
A research team from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore, Maryland would like to appeal to WHO and other blood collection agencies to re-assess their stand on non-monetary incentives to resolve blood shortage in the U.S and other countries as well.
"The WHO guidelines strongly encourage donations to come from unpaid volunteers - and national blood agencies' guidelines incorporate that strong advice against compensation for blood donors," said Mario Macis, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore, Maryland.
The research team has substantial evidence that monetary incentives are more realistic and can actually motivate people to donate quality blood. They analyzed the data of almost 100,000 donors at 72 American Red Cross blood drives in northern Ohio. They provided gift cards as tokens of gratitude to half of the sites while the other has received nothing.
The gift cards were handed to all participants before the screening process which may prevent people from keeping their health issues before they get the reward.
"You present to donate, you get your reward. So you have no incentive to misrepresent your health history," Macis said.
The likelihood to donate levels varies on the amount of the reward. Those who received a $5-gift card have an increase of 26 percent, $10-gift card by 52 percent, and even higher for $15-gift card. They would also encourage other people to donate blood as well especially those who haven't tried donating blood.
