Blood donor satisfaction and the weak link in the chain of donation process.

Recruiting and retaining enough donors is a problem. Six hundred and thirty nine blood donors were interviewed to identify the elements that can influence their satisfaction and the decision to become regulars. The majority of them were satisfied with staff skill and communication, they declared they were calm before donating and felt well after donation. First-time donors (FTDs) were more frightened, showed anticipatory anxiety, were less sure they would donate again (p<0.01) and the youngest were also less satisfied with the staff's behavior after donation. Identifying the more scared FTDs and diminishing their anxiety before donating could positively influence their decision to become regulars.