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. 2009;36(5):329-339.
doi: 10.1159/000235608. Epub 2009 Sep 21.

Blood Donation, Payment, and Non-Cash Incentives: Classical Questions Drawing Renewed Interest

Alena M Buyx  1
Affiliations

Blood Donation, Payment, and Non-Cash Incentives: Classical Questions Drawing Renewed Interest

Alena M Buyx. Transfus Med Hemother. 2009.

Abstract
in English, German

Blood is scarce, and ensuring a sufficient blood supply remains difficult for many countries. Payment for blood as a strategy to increase donations has remained highly controversial for decades, and the debate about ethical issues in paying donors has become somewhat stuck. At least from a policy perspective, it is important to find a compromise which allows for devising and implementing acceptable and successful policies to increase the blood supply. In this paper, such a compromise is developed both from a theoretical and empirical perspective, namely implementing well-designed non-cash incentives which cut across the rigid dichotomy of altruistic donations versus payment for donations. In order for this compromise to work, more attention to donation motives, the choice architecture, and the setting in blood donation needs to be paid.

Es ist nach wie vor eine Herausforderung für viele Länder, eine ausreichende Versorgung mit Blutprodukten zu gewährleisten. Eine vielfach diskutierte Strategie zur Erhöhung des Blutspendeaufkommens – die bezahlte Blutspende – ist seit Jahrzehnten umstritten. Die Debatten um ethische Aspekte der bezahlten Blutspende bewegen sich in den letzten Jahren nur noch wenig; es besteht akuter Bedarf nach einem akzeptablen Kompromiss, der neue Wege zur Erhöhung des Spendeaufkommens möglich werden lässt. In diesem Beitrag wird ein solcher Kompromiss skizziert, nämlich die Einführung von Anreizen, die die eingefahrene Dichotomie zwischen altruistischer und bezahlter Blutspende umgehen und in einen umfassenden Ansatz zur Spendeförderung eingebettet sind, der Spendemotive, Spendesetting und die Entscheidungsarchitektur berücksichtigt.

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