Advancing gender inclusivity for Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary and other gender-diverse blood and plasma donors.

Background And Objectives: Two-Spirit, trans, nonbinary and other gender-diverse (2STGD) donors face challenges in donation. While many blood operators aim to address these challenges, to date, no empirical study with these donors has been conducted to guide their efforts. This paper reports 2STGD donors' views on a two-step approach asking donors their gender and sex assigned at birth (SAAB), and expanding gender options in donor registration.

Qualitative analysis of Canadian blood and plasma donors' views on expanding donor screening eligibility for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Background: In many countries, sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) continue to be screened based on their sex or gender and the sex or gender of their sexual partner. However, there is growing support that screening based on specific sexual behaviors that pose risk of transfusion transmissible infection is a better approach to donor screening.

Study Design And Methods: This paper reports results from Phase 1 (qualitative) of a mixed-methods study on Canadian blood and plasma donors' views on expanding eligibility for gbMSM by changing to sexual behavior-based screening.

Sickle cell disease and the need for blood: Barriers to donation for African, Caribbean, and Black young adults in Canada.

Background: Many blood operators around the world face the challenge of increasing the number of donors of African ancestry to meet the transfusion needs of people living with sickle cell disease. This article reports results of the barriers to blood donation for young adults (aged 19-35) in Canada who identify as African, Caribbean, or Black.

Study Design And Methods: A community-based qualitative study was conducted by researchers from community organizations, blood operator, and universities.

Evolving the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men time-based deferral to sexual risk screening for all donors: The contribution of Canadian research programmes.

Background And Objectives: In Canada, the time deferral for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) to donate blood has gradually decreased. In September 2022, this deferral was replaced with sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors. We investigate how data from targeted research programmes addressed knowledge gaps to support this change.

Alternatives to blood donor deferral of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: Acceptability of screening the sexual risk behavior of all blood donors.

Background: Blood operators screen donors to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). Many are evolving screening procedures from those that defer all who have had a sexual interaction with gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) to an approach that assesses individual donors' recent sexual risk behavior with any partner.

Study Design And Methods: A representative sample of current blood donors (N = 1194) was recruited online and randomized to complete either the existing (at the time of the study) Canadian Blood Services' donor questionnaire (DQ) that screens out those with recent gbMSM sexual experience, a modified donor questionnaire (MDQ) that assesses individuals' recent sexual behavior with any partner, or an MDQ that assesses individual sexual behavior with any partner and explains why these questions are asked.

A critical contribution in a time of crisis: Examining motivations and deterrents to COVID-19 convalescent plasma donation and future donation intentions among prospective Canadian donors.

Objectives: To understand motivations and deterrents to donate COVID-19 convalescent plasma for a clinical trial and determine whether they predict intention to donate source plasma.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Blood Services was involved in three nationally coordinated convalescent plasma clinical trials, requiring the recruitment of several thousand prospective convalescent plasma donors. Understanding the motivations and deterrents of donors in the unique context of a clinical trial and ongoing pandemic can inform recruitment for source plasma donation beyond a clinical trial.

Sexual risk behavior questions: Understanding and mitigating donor discomfort.

Background: Blood operators are working to improve donor screening and eligibility for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), and trans and nonbinary donors. Many consider screening all donors for specific sexual risk behaviors to be a more equitable approach that maintains the safety of the blood supply. Feasibility considerations with this change include ensuring donor understanding of additional sexual behavior questions and minimizing donor loss due to discomfort.

Emotional labour and cord blood collection: frontline perspectives.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine emotional labour in the work of frontline staff (FLS) of the Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank (CBB), contributes to understandings of emotional labour by allied healthcare workers and suggests implications for healthcare managers.

Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative interviews with 15 FLS were conducted and analyzed as part of a process evaluation of donor recruitment and cord blood collection in Canada.

Findings: Emotional labour with donors and hospital staff emerged as a vital component of FLS' donor recruitment and cord blood collection work.

Making Contributions and Defining Success: An eDelphi Study of the Inaugural Cohort of CIHR Health System Impact Fellows, Host Supervisors and Academic Supervisors.

Context: The Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship, an innovative training program developed by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, provides PhD-trained health researchers with an embedded, experiential learning opportunity within a health system organization.

Methods/design: An electronic Delphi (eDelphi) study was conducted to: (1) identify the criteria used to define success in the program and (2) elucidate the main contributions fellows made to their organizations. Through an iterative, two-round eDelphi process, perspectives were elicited from three stakeholder groups in the inaugural cohort of the HSI Fellowship: HSI fellows, host supervisors and academic supervisors.

Dietary strategies and food practices of pediatric patients, and their parents, living with inflammatory bowel disease: a qualitative interview study.

: A growing body of scientific evidence supports the role of food and diet in the pathogenesis and management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, little is known about the role of food and diet from the perspectives of pediatric patients and their parents. This study aimed to explore how children and adolescents with IBD and their parents coped with the illness through food and diet in their daily lives.

Contextual factors influencing donor recruitment and cord blood collection: perspectives of frontline staff of the Canadian Blood Services' Cord Blood Bank.

Background: Umbilical cord blood (CB) is an important source of hematopoietic stem cells that are used to treat blood- and immune-system disorders. Public CB banks aim to build inventories with high-quality CB units to meet healthcare needs. While research has noted the influence of broader contextual factors on donor recruitment and CB collection processes, to date, no published study has identified the specific contextual factors and challenges to donor recruitment and CB collection.

Epistemic tensions between people living with asthma and healthcare professionals in clinical encounters.

Rationale: Asthma is a common respiratory condition with high prevalence rates globally. While there are effective treatments, asthma remains an important health concern as people continue to die from severe attacks. Improving the experiences of, and health outcomes for, people with asthma depends heavily on their interactions with healthcare professionals.

From waste to (fool's) gold: promissory and profit values of cord blood.

According to biomedical discourse, cord blood has been transformed from 'waste' to 'clinical gold' because of its potential for use in treatments. Private cord blood banks deploy clinical discourse to market their services to prospective parents, encouraging them to pay to bank cord blood as a form of 'biological insurance' to ensure their child's future health. Social scientists have examined new forms of (bio)value produced in biological materials emergent with contemporary biotechnologies.