Currently in Canada, men who have had any sex with men in the past 3 months are not eligible to donate blood. This donor deferral policy has been a target of LGBTQ2+ advocacy and critique publicly as discriminatory. However, it is important that Canada maintain a safe and sufficient blood supply. To supplement and triangulate community-based research with gay, bi, queer, trans, and Two-Spirit men, this project has four objectives:

1) evaluate general Canadian population acceptability of a gender-blind screening questionnaire and the inclusion of sensitive questions in donor screening; 2

) identify new potential donors and examine how changes to the MSM deferral policy will impact the sufficiency of blood products;

3) assess the acceptability of screening and alternative risk management technologies among patient and blood-user groups; and

4) provide evidence to inform campaigns and promotional materials to recruit and mobilize new potential donors.

We will use a community-based mixed-methods research approach through collaborations with blood product user/patient groups. Our study will include a national, anonymous, bilingual, cross-sectional survey of 1,200 general population Canadians and up to 60 targeted, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with blood product recipient patients. Our unique integration of these two data sources we will connect the perspectives and opinions of general population and blood users on potential changes to blood donor screening and deferral. Our project will produce critical and robust evidence to inform applications for deferral criteria amendment in the short- term, and international blood safety policy in the long-term. We strive for greater multi-stakeholder support to implement an individual behavioural-based risk assessment donor policy or to improve the current population-based policy.

Partners: CBRC

Methods:
Mixed Methods

Funder: Canadian Blood Services

Current Status: Interview data collection complete. Analysis and reporting ongoing.