Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39244275›Full record

ReviewLancet (London, England)2024

The global blood donation index: an imperfect measure of transfusion need.

Jeremy W Jacobs, Imelda Bates, Claudia S Cohn, Nabajyoti Choudhury, Shirley Owusu-Ofori, Hans Vrielink, Eshan U Patel, Silvano Wendel, Aaron A R Tobian, Evan M Bloch

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Lancet (London, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Prevalence of transfusion transmitted infections by mode of donation and remuneration status among blood donors in Georgia, 2018-2023.Transfusion and apheresis science : official journal of the World Apheresis Association : official journal of the European Society for Haemapheresis · 2025
    Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jeremy W JacobsDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Imelda BatesLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Claudia S CohnDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nabajyoti ChoudhuryDibrugarh Cancer Center, ACCF, Dibrugarh, Assam, India.
Shirley Owusu-OforiNational Blood Service Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana.
Hans VrielinkUnit of Transfusion Medicine of Sanquin Blood Supply, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Eshan U PatelDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Silvano WendelHospital Sírio-Libanês Blood Bank, Săo Paulo, Brazil.
Aaron A R TobianDivision of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Evan M BlochDivision of Transfusion Medicine, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: ebloch2@jhmi.edu.

Funding

The Malaria Transfusion Risk (MATRix) StudyK23HL151826 · NHLBI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI BLOCH, EVAN MARTIN · 2020 to 2024
$882k
NHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL151826
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The optimum number of units of blood and the associated number of blood donors required to meet a given population's needs remain undetermined globally. Typically, a whole blood donation rate of ten donations per 1000 population, at a minimum, is necessary to meet a country's blood needs. This rate is attributed to a WHO recommendation that 1% of a given country's population should donate blood to ensure a blood supply that is sufficient to meet clinical needs. This often cited metric was first referenced in a 1971 WHO report, yet neither supporting data or references were provided, suggesting that it was flawed at its founding. Regardless, this metric does not provide an accurate or contemporary determination of blood needs, which has ramifications for health service provision and planning, particularly in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Modelling studies that account for geographical variability in disease burden, health-care infrastructure, and transfusion practices are needed to accurately estimate blood needs. A paucity of data to inform modelling remains a major obstacle in this regard. We discuss the history of the global blood donation index and highlight some factors that should be considered to better understand contemporary blood needs.

Indexed as

Blood DonationBlood TransfusionGlobal HealthDeveloping CountriesHealth Services Needs and DemandHumansNeeds AssessmentWorld Health Organization

Identifiers

PMID39244275
PMCPMC12716954

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.