Factors Affecting Blood Donation in the Blood Supply Chain Under Critical Conditions

One of the most important issues in the blood supply chain is meeting the demand for hospitals' blood supply, which becomes more sensitive in times of crisis. Given that access to blood supply is often restricted in critical situations due to a sudden increase in demand, the supply chain is in severe trouble during and after the crisis. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting blood donation by donors in the blood supply chain under critical conditions.

This descriptive-survey study was performed on all blood donors in Mazandaran, Iran province during the first four months of 2018. Using cluster sampling method, 384 samples were selected. Data were collected using a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling in SPSS 20 and LISREL 8.50 software.

In this study, 92.97% of 384 persons were male and the age group of 31-40 years with the frequency of 36.20% had the highest age range. Evaluation of the research model showed that all fit indices were within acceptable range. Factor loadings for variable effects of advertising and informing, motivation, awareness and subjective norms on blood donation in crisis conditions were 0.98 (t=10.31), 0.80 (t=9.45), 0.66 (t=8.60) and 0.57 (t=4.75) were estimated. Therefore, advertising and information had the greatest impact on blood donation by donors in critical conditions.

The results showed that advertising, motivation, subjective norms, and donor awareness have a positive and direct effect on blood supply in the crisis supply chain, and advertising and informing have the most impact.