Blood donors across Canada will likely see a few changes at their local clinics the next time they roll-up their sleeves.
Canadian Blood Services is launching a new electronic registration system, which it hopes will cut down on donation times across the country. The rollout will reach St. John’s on Tuesday, and comes just as blood banks reach a particularly needy time of year.
In Newfoundland and Labrador alone, 3,200 individual donations are needed between July 1 and September for the Canadian Blood Services to reach its target.
Gordon Skiffington, a coordinator with the group in St. John’s, is hoping the new system can get people through the clinic faster than usual.
“Our goal is to get our donors in the door, and out as quickly as possible, especially during the summer months,” he said.
“People don’t want to be sitting around, they want to be out enjoying the beach, enjoying all the summer activities.”
Paperless registration
Blood donation clinics are ditching the paper registration form that currently needs to be filled out every time a donor visits.
Starting July 4, donors will be able to fill out their registration at home, ahead of their visit. Or they can take advantage of the new iPad kits installed in the clinics.
Gordon Skiffington, a coordinator with the Canadian Blood Services in St. John’s, says the new method should cut down on registration waiting times. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Currently, donating blood usually takes an hour, including the registration time. With the new system, Canadian Blood Services is hoping to cut the process down to 44 minutes, says Skiffington.
“It will speed up the donation process and make it a little bit more easier to give blood than it did before,” he said.
Summer doldrums
Summer is typically a slow time of year for blood clinics, according to Skiffington.
He says many of the regular donors are out on vacation, and not coming in as regularly.
“And the need for blood is constant,” he adds. “We need every single blood type, every single day of the year.”
In Newfoundland and Labrador alone, 3,200 individual donations are needed between July 1 and September for the Canadian Blood Services to reach it’s target. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Skiffington says blood banks operate only with a 3-5 day rolling inventory, contrary to popular belief.
The rash of accidents in the St. John’s area in recent weeks has not been helping the local clinic, either.
Skiffington says a particularly bad accident could require fifty units of blood per patient.
“One unit is from one donor, so it may take up to fifty people to help somebody in a major car crash.”