Population
Deferred blood donors from 30 Australian Lifeblood donor centres (n= 6,039).
Intervention
In-centre educational materials consisting of a brochure about referral and a ‘conversation guide’ prompting staff to be empathetic, plus a follow up e-mail (In-centre brochure plus e-mail group, n= 2,022).
Comparison
Business-as-usual in-centre process and a follow up e-mail (E-mail only group, n= 2,028); business-as-usual deferral process (Control group, n= 1,989).
Outcome
Compared with donors in the Control group, donors in the In-centre brochure plus e-mail group had increased odds of return at 3 months after their deferral ended (odds ratio (OR), 1.16, 95% CI [1.00, 1.33]). Subgroup analysis highlighted that novice (OR, 1.38, 95% CI [1.04, 1.83]) and established donors (OR, 1.36, 95% CI [1.13, 1.64]) had increased odds of return if they received the in-centre materials. Donors who were deferred to maintain their well-being (OR, 1.28, 95% CI [1.03, 1.60]) and donors with a prior deferral history (OR, 1.55, 95% CI [1.15, 1.55]) had increased odds of return if they received the in-centre materials. No significant differences were found between the E-mail only and Control conditions.