Caring for Those Who Share: Improving the Health of Wisconsin Blood Donors

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00772083

Enrollment

400

Registered

2008-10-15

Start date

2008-11-30

Completion date

2009-06-30

Last updated

2010-08-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anemia, Colorectal Cancer

Brief summary

Blood donors are a precious community resource. Each month at Blood Center of Wisconsin (BCW), 200 men and 600 women over age 50 are turned away (deferred) because of anemia. In those over 50, anemia may signal serious underlying disease such as colorectal cancer (CRC). CRC is the #3 cause of cancer death in Wisconsin with more than 1,000 deaths in 2006. Yet with proper testing CRC outcomes can be improved by early diagnosis. This project will focus on a population of deferred older blood donors to develop and test educational materials that will motivate donors to seek medical attention for their anemia, so that the underlying cause is diagnosed and treated. This project has the potential to lead to better CRC outcomes in Wisconsin blood donors.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEducational brochure

This brochure will educate anemic blood donors regarding the possible causes of their anemia, and based on age will make recommendations for who should seek consultation with a physician.

BEHAVIORALStandard pamphlet

The BloodCenter of Wisconsin's default action when a potential donor has been found to be anemic is to provide a standard pamphlet with very basic nutritional information.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* adult blood donors who have been deferred (not allowed to donate) due to low blood count, specifically all male donors found to have hematocrit \< 38% and to all female donors over 50 years old found to have hematocrit \< 36%

Exclusion criteria

* deferred donors who have previously donated more than 3 times in the past year, as their anemia is more likely due to frequent donation * women less than 50 years old

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
self-reported seeking of medical care for diagnosis of anemia found at time of blood donation	3 months

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026