Temporary deferral and donor return.

Deferral from donation is usually for conditions that make the donor only temporarily unable to give. Based on questionnaires given to 1247 donors with subsequent follow-up of their donation records for 6 months, permanent psychological effects of deferral are suggested. Only one of 36 deferred first-time donors (2.8%) compared with 27.3 percent of those who were not deferred returned for a second donation during the next 6 months. Among most first-time donors, temporary deferral may be interpreted psychologically as providing a permanent excuse for not donating.