WATCH(WearAble Technology for Collecting Health data)Donor Pilot Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
WearAble Technology for Collecting Health data on blood donors: A UK study
IRAS ID
306435
Contact name
Charlotte Washington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHSBT
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Syncopal (fainting) reactions following blood donation occur infrequently but are associated with a reduction in returning donors, and in some cases, serious donor injury from falls. Some syncopal reactions occur hours after donation. Younger blood donors are especially at risk for having syncope before they donate. In the UK, donating blood is permitted from 17 years of age and those under the age of 20 donate approximately 1.4% of all blood units collected across England. Compared to donors aged 20-years-old or older 16 and 17 year-old donors were discovered to be approximately 7 times more likely to experience syncopal reactions and 14 times more likely to suffer syncope-related injuries.
In addition to younger donor age, other factors that have been proposed to predict post donation syncope include first-time donation status, female sex, low weight/low estimated blood volume, and previous syncopal reaction.
Interventions to prevent syncopal reactions have been evaluated in a small number of controlled trials.
We aim to apply smart watch technology to monitoring blood donors before, during, and after donation to help identify donors at risk for syncope. As a first step, we are proposing this pilot study to assess the feasibility of using smart watches for blood donor monitoring.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0207
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jun 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion