Mixed-Reality Technology Pilot Shows Promising Results in Reducing Pre-Donation Anxiety and Attracting New Blood Donors

The use of mixed-reality (MR) technology during blood donation helped ease pre-donation anxiety and has the potential to attract new donors, according to results of a pilot study published Jan. 29 in Transfusion. According to the authors, the results suggest that MR technology is feasible, safe and holds promise to increase donor engagement, satisfaction and retention.

Developed by Abbott and Blood Centers of America, the MR technology is an immersive digital experience designed to improve the blood donation process. During the 8-minute experience, donors wear lightweight MR headsets to experience a digital world while remaining fully aware of their real-world surroundings. The experience is accompanied by calming background music and ends with a positive message about blood donation.

In this study, 282 donors at two blood collection centers completed a pre-donation survey that gathered information on their blood donation history, prior MR or virtual reality experience, and pre-donation subjective anxiety. After their donation, participants completed a questionnaire on their MR experience that addressed ease of use and impact on their anxiety levels.

Among donors who reported pre-donation anxiety (50.3%), 68.4% said the use of mixed reality during donation decreased their reported anxiety. With regard to future blood donations, 89.2% of all donors and 69% of first-time donors reported that they were very or extremely likely to donate again following the MR experience.

The study also assessed MR's usability by donors and staff and feasibility of use at blood collection sites. More than 80% of donors wanted to try MR during donation because they thought it would be fun, different, cool or interesting. In addition, most donors (67.7%) found the MR technology “moderately easy,” “very easy” or “extremely easy” to use; 43.9% said they “would use” MR again and 31.3% “would maybe use” MR again

According to the study’s lead authors, Suchitra Pandey, MD; and Ruchika Goel, MD, MPH, the findings demonstrate that MR can be an effective tool in reducing self-reported donor anxiety, which may be especially helpful in donor groups with higher baseline anxiety such as first-time donors, young donors and female donors. While future research is needed to validate these findings and assess MR's impact on donor return rates and reaction rates, the findings suggest that MR has the potential to enhance the blood donation experience by reducing anxiety and improving donor engagement.