2.6 Directed and Designated Donation | New Zealand Blood Service

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Transfusion medicine

Transfusion medicine handbook

The Transfusion Medicine Handbook is designed to assist hospital staff and other health professionals in modern Transfusion Medicine Practice.

2. Collection, Testing and Processing of Blood Donation

2.6 Directed and Designated Donation

NZBS does not support the practice of directed donation. A directed donation is one in which a donor is donating for a specific recipient for a non-medical reason. The request usually occurs within family relationships, in particular parents of children, where there may be significant emotional anxiety reflecting a concern regarding the perceived safety of a transfusion. There is no evidence that directed donations are safer than blood components derived from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors.

Designated donation should be distinguished from directed donation. In designated donations, donors are asked to provide blood components for a specific patient for medical reasons (e.g., antigen-negative RBC, antigen-matched platelets, IgA-deficient FFP, etc.). This practice is at the discretion of an NZBS Transfusion Medicine Specialist/ Medical Officer.

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