The safety of and the strain on the donor during thrombocytapheresis on the cell separator. A psychological study.

The study deals with the question as to what extent and under which existing personal characteristics does thrombocytapheresis on the cell separator (Fenwal CS-3000) lead to psychological stress for the blood donor? A comparison is made with the stress experienced during the established 450 ml full-blood donation. Because of the different procedural conditions, it was postulated that the donation on the cell separator creates greater psychological stress than the established type of donation. To examine this hypothesis, a sample group of 76 cell-separator and full-blood donors were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the stress they experienced and their attitude before, during, and after the donation. Their personalities were also examined. A control group of 45 full-blood donors was examined in the same way. No significant statistical difference was found regarding the extent of stress under both conditions of donation. These findings are verified by the general satisfaction expressed by the cell-separator donors. Although it is confirmed that the personal cost to the donor is greater, it involves, on the other hand, a greater commitment, a positive evaluation of the more intimate involvement of the donor, and an increase in self-esteem. Since it could not be proven that there is an increase in the amount of stress during cell-separator donation, it also seems plausible that no clear decrease in stress would be observed after repeated donations. On the whole, it seems that the cell separator is well accepted by the donors. The extent of experienced stress is related to the donor's habitual anxiety and negative expectations. Since negative expectations can be influenced, it is to be expected that an informative conversation in a quiet atmosphere would further decrease the stress experienced.