Background and rationale
hypovolaemic, fractures, pain
RECRUITMENT, COMPLICATIONS, COMPLICATION, BLOOD, VASOVAGAL REACTION
Vasovagal reactions (VVRs), the most common acute complication related to blood donation, are responsible for substantial morbidity, especially when accompanied by complications such as fall and fractures [Operating at different stages of blood donation, the principal mechanisms believed to underlie donation-related VVRs include the direct effects of removal of ~500mL of blood; the stress of giving blood (e.g. fear of needles, pain, sight of blood); and orthostatic effects superimposed on a relative hypovolaemic state after donation [A previous meta-analysis of randomised trials has, however, shown that there is limited evidence to support water loading or AMT [To evaluate the effects of four interventions for the prevention of VVRs among whole blood donors, we have designed the Strategies to Improve Donor Experiences (STRIDES) trial, a large cluster-randomised trial across all sites of the national blood service in England (National Health Service Blood and Transplant [NHSBT]). The trial aims to provide evidence-based policies to reduce VVRs among blood donors, leading to improvements in donor health, donor experience, and service efficiency. A subsidiary aim is to advance understanding of the determinants of VVRs and to develop prevention strategies for VVRs tailored to specific donor sub-populations.We confirm that recruitment into the trial was ongoing at the time this manuscript was submitted for publication.