Donor flow efficiency: retrospective verification of a three-level donor population management model

Abstract

Summary. Introduction. Ensuring a stable supply of blood components to healthcare organizations remains a top priority, particularly in megacities. Current international practices for assessing donor resource adequacy, such as the World Health Organization’s recommended benchmark of 10 donors per 1,000 population, primarily focus on quantitative (volume-based) metrics. However, these metrics do not fully capture the operational efficiency of blood services, which is fundamentally determined by the capacity to transform infrequent donors into a stable, predictable, and high-quality resource. Aim: to formulate and specify the concept of donor flow efficiency, develop a three-level model for managing the donor population based on this concept, and validate the proposed model through a retrospective 10-year analysis of a blood transfusion center’s operation. Materials and Methods. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using the data from the blood transfusion center of a large multidisciplinary hospital covering a 10-year period (2014–2024). To define the donor flow efficiency and subsequently construct the three-level donor population model, a multicomponent evaluation framework was developed, encompassing conversion efficiency, frequency of donation, and structural efficiency. The analysis confirms a successful transition from an extensive to an intensive operational model. Conversion rates (medical deferrals) decreased from 32.2% in 2019 to 19.4%, aligning with global benchmarks for major blood centers. The overall donation intensity increased from 1.54 to 2.15. Notably, a highly intensive core of 900 platelet donors was established, achieving a record frequency of 3.14 donations, surpassing many international standards. Structurally, a three-level model was successfully implemented: a broad base of whole blood donors (5958), a specialized reserve of plasma donors (381), and a core of platelet donors (890). The proposed concept of donor flow efficiency has been proven to be an adequate tool for analyzing and managing blood services. The strategy, focused on increasing donor retention and building a stable “core” of regular donors, has demonstrated its effective- ness in ensuring the sustainability of the blood supply system.

For citation: Karpova O.V., Dukhanina O.D., Babushkina A.I., Mozhzherin Yu.V., Lysenko M.A., Vtorenko V.I., Maiorova O.A. Donor flow efficiency: retrospective verification of a three-level donor population management model. Tromboz, gemostaz i reologiya. 2026;(2):63–71. (In Russ.).

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