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Voices

Klara Greffin: We Need Better Ways to Support Deferred Donors on Their Path to Re-engage with Blood Donation

Klara Greffin/LinkedIn

Sep 21, 2025, 16:32

Klara Greffin: We Need Better Ways to Support Deferred Donors on Their Path to Re-engage with Blood Donation

Klara Greffin, Health Psychologist and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Greifswald, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“At this year’s DGTI2025 in Mannheim, I had the opportunity to share insights on a topic I am very passionate about: initial deferral experiences in blood donation. Many thanks to Michael Müller-Steinhardt, Harald Klüter and Linda Schönborn for inviting me. It was a pleasure to contribute to a session on donor management together with Eamonn Ferguson, Yaning Wu and Christian Weidmann.

My talk focused on deferrals at the very first blood donation attempt – a topic inspired by my earlier work in a blood donation centre, where I experienced first-hand what it means to make deferral decisions. The reactions of those who were deferred and the lack of strategies for staff made one thing clear: we need better ways to support deferred donors on their path to re-engage with blood donation.

In this context, I highlighted our recent publication on Donation Initiators – a term we propose for those who are deferred at their very first blood donation attempt. Behind this concept lies a simple but meaningful idea: the right language – and the mindset that comes with it – might help transform an initial deferral from the endpoint of a donor journey into a pause. It provides the foundation for further research on first-time deferrals, and for developing ways to understand, manage and ultimately prevent them where possible. The work on Donation Initiators was conducted together with Melissa Völter, Fanni Peter, Thomas Thiele and Barbara Masser – a big thank you to our group for the great and supportive teamwork.

The DGTI2025 was full of valuable discussions and insights – one of my highlights was hearing perspectives from the military on maintaining blood supply in times of crisis. Another highlight was Melissa Völter’s presentation on how to make post-donation refreshment offers more inclusive and appealing to the younger generations, as well as Sigrun Leipnitz’s talk on barriers and motivators of blood donation among individuals with and without a migration background.

Alongside these highlights, I valued meeting new people, reconnecting with colleagues from across Europe (e.g., Hartmut Kroll, Johanna C., Dr. Lena K. Kunz, Irina Kohler), and spending time with our Universitätsmedizin Greifswald research group (e.g., Linda Schönborn, Thomas Thiele, Melissa Völter, Martina Wolff, Dr.med., Konstanze Aurich), whose long-standing support and trust mean a lot to me.”

Find more on Hemostasis Today.

Barbara Masser Blood donation Blood Supply Christian Weidmann Deferred Donors DGTI2025 Donor Management Eamonn Ferguson Fanni Peter Harald Klüter Health Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis Today Klara Greffin Linda Schönborn Melissa Völter Michael Müller-Steinhardt Thomas Thiele Trasfusion Medicine Yaning Wu

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