ArticleBMC public health2022
A mixed methods investigation of the relationship between blood donor policy, interest in donation, and willingness to donate among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Ontario, Canada.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Barriers and enablers to non-remunerated plasma donation: A meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature using the theoretical domains framework.Vox sanguinis · 2026Review
- Examining prosocial tendencies in men who have sex with men: Potential impacts on blood donation following the 2023 reform.Vox sanguinis · 2026Article
- Organ and tissue donation and transplantation in people who identify as Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and more: a Canada-wide cross-sectional community survey.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2025Article
- Why men who have sex with men in New Zealand intend to donate or not donate blood.Vox sanguinis · 2025Article
- An instrument of screening criteria to assess individualized high-risk sexual behavior to be applied in the Brazilian population: translation and cross-cultural adaptation.Hematology, transfusion and cell therapy · 2024Article
- Modeling US blood donor deferrals under a policy of individual risk assessment for HIV risk sexual behavior.Transfusion · 2024Article
- Improved access yet inequitable experience: gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men's views of more inclusive criteria for source plasma donation.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Willingness and eligibility to donate blood under 12-month and 3-month deferral policies among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Ontario, Canada.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs of 2019, men who have sex with men (MSM) in Canada are ineligible to donate blood if they have had oral or anal sex with another man in the last 3 months. Deferral policies targeting MSM are largely interpreted as unjust by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) - shaping their desire to donate blood and engage with blood operators. This mixed methods study explores interest in blood donation among GBMSM as well as willingness (and eligibility) to donate under four different deferral policies.
methodsWe surveyed 447 GBMSM who were recruited from the Ontario-wide #iCruise study. Participants were asked whether they were interested in blood donation and if they were willing to donate under each of our four deferral policies. We also completed interviews with 31 of these GBMSM. Participants were asked to describe their feelings about blood donation, their views on our different deferral policies, the impact of a policy change, as well as other means of redress.
resultsMost participants (69%) indicated that they were interested in donating blood. Despite this, an interpretation of the MSM deferral policy as discriminatory was common among all participants. Our mixed methods findings indicate that, among those who were interested in blood donation, the adoption of one of the alternative policies presented in this study (specifically Policy 2 or Policy 3) would significantly increase the number of participants willing to donate and be viewed as "a step in the right direction." However, many participants who were not interested in blood donation argued that a gender-neutral deferral policy would need to be implemented for them to donate. Participants recommended that blood operators consider efforts to repair relations with GBMSM beyond policy change, including pop-up clinics in predominantly queer areas and diversity sensitivity training for staff.
conclusionWe argue that the most impactful policy shift would be the implementation of an individual risk-based deferral policy that is applied to all donors regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. However, given MSM's historical exclusion from blood donations, blood operators should pair this policy shift with community relationship-building efforts.
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