Conti G, Huseynova E, Stramer SL, Dodd RY, Reik R, Custer B, Engel B, Hailu B, Yang H, Notari EP 4th.

Transfusion. 2026 Jun 6. doi: 10.1111/trf.70269. Online ahead of print.

PMID: 42249799

This study compared the first two years of the Individual Donor Assessment (IDA) policy with the preceding two years of the 3-month deferral (3MD) policy (for specific health behaviors) and found a 6% increase in first-time blood donors (FTDs) following IDA implementation, driven largely by a 14% increase in male first-time donors. Growth was observed across most demographic groups, particularly among Black (+24%), Hispanic/Latino (+13%), and multiracial (+16%) donors, as well as donors aged 40–54 years (+14%). Geographic gains were most pronounced in the Northeast (+11%). The IDA period also produced a higher number of returning FTDs and subsequent donations, suggesting that many newly recruited donors continue to engage with blood donation. 

Why this matters: The transition from time-based deferrals to the IDA framework was one of the most significant U.S. blood donor eligibility policy changes in decades. While the study cannot directly attribute these donation increases to the IDA policy, this study provides some of the first national-scale evidence that expanding eligibility through an individualized, behavior-based assessment may translate into measurable growth in FTD recruitment, without evidence of reduced donor retention. However, FTDs historically carry higher transfusion-transmissible infection risk, making these findings important for both blood safety surveillance and long-term donor recruitment strategies. There should be continued monitoring of donor demographics, retention, and infectious disease trends as the IDA era matures.