Encouraging Blood Donation in Patients With a Blood Type in Short Supply

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

As of November 2021, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a months-long national shortage of several types of blood in the U.S. (O-Pos, O-Neg, A-Neg, B-Neg, and AB-Neg), which has extended to a local blood shortage within the Geisinger community. The broad aim of this collaborative healthcare operations quality improvement project is to determine whether a message indicating that a patient's own blood type is in short supply increases the likelihood that they will donate, compared to a message that mentions a blood shortage without referencing the patient's blood type, or no message at all. Scientists in Geisinger's Behavioral Insights Team (BIT), part of Geisinger's Steele Institute for Health Innovation, will collaborate with Miller Keystone, where Geisinger refers patients who wish to donate blood and from whom Geisinger receives blood for clinical purposes. Patients with one of the needed blood types will be randomized to receive 1) a message about a blood shortage that does not specify the blood types in short supply or their own blood type (no-blood-type message), 2) the same message modified slightly to specify the recipient's blood type, and to mention that their blood type is in short supply (blood-type message), or 3) no message (shortage control group). A second no-contact control group of patients without any of the needed blood types will also be observed (no-shortage control group). Both the blood-type and no-blood-type messages are informed by behavioral science, emphasizing supply needs in local hospitals and providing community-relevant examples of why someone might need blood (e.g., farming or industrial accidents). The BIT will compare how many patients in each group choose to donate blood. They hypothesize that: 1) patients who receive either message will be more likely to donate than patients who receive no message; and 2) patients who receive the blood-type message will be more likely to donate than those who receive the no-blood-type message. With respect to the latter hypothesis, informing the recipient that they have one of the needed blood types may increase their perception that they are in a semi-unique position to help someone in need as compared to a more general message that may suffer from a diffusion of responsibility effect.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Health Behavior

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT05135325
Study type	Interventional
Source	Geisinger Clinic
Contact
Status	Completed
Phase	N/A
Start date	November 15, 2021
Completion date	June 6, 2022

View Details

See also
Status	Clinical Trial	Phase
Completed	`NCT05009251` - Using Explainable AI Risk Predictions to Nudge Influenza Vaccine Uptake	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT04356924` - Psychological Treatment to Support the Consequences of Cognitive Impairment	N/A
Completed	`NCT05509049` - Precision Nudging Drives Wellness Visit Attendance at Scale	N/A
Completed	`NCT03904992` - Intervention With a Progressive Web App for the Promotion of Healthy Habits in Preschoolers	N/A
Completed	`NCT05509270` - Efficacy of Communication Modalities for Promoting Flu Shots	N/A
Completed	`NCT03167372` - Pilot Comparison of N-of-1 Trials of Light Therapy	N/A
Completed	`NCT03081520` - Affective Responses Following Aerobic Exercise With Different Intensities	N/A
Completed	`NCT05012163` - Lottery Incentive Nudges to Increase Influenza Vaccinations	N/A
Completed	`NCT03982095` - Survey on Lifestyle, Perceived Barriers and Development of Change in Patients With Prostate Cancer
Recruiting	`NCT06467058` - Convergent Validity of DABQ Questionnaire	N/A
Completed	`NCT02996864` - Location-based Smartphone Technology to Guide College Students Healthy Choices Ph II	N/A
Completed	`NCT02777086` - Sustainable HIV Risk Reduction Strategies for Probationers	N/A
Not yet recruiting	`NCT06071130` - Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making	N/A
Active, not recruiting	`NCT04152824` - Readiness Supportive Leadership Training	N/A
Active, not recruiting	`NCT05541653` - The IGNITE Study on Concentrated Investment in Black Neighborhoods	N/A
Completed	`NCT03875768` - Nourish: A Digital Health Program to Promote the DASH Eating Plan Among Adults With High Blood Pressure	N/A
Completed	`NCT04089020` - Walking to School Supports	N/A
Completed	`NCT03646903` - Reducing Help-Seeking Stigma in Young Adults at Elevated Suicide Risk	N/A
Completed	`NCT03548077` - POWERPLAY: Promoting Men's Health at Work	N/A
Recruiting	`NCT05249465` - Spark: Finding the Optimal Tracking Strategy for Weight Loss in a Digital Health Intervention	N/A

Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.