Fainting

Fainting is one of the most common complications of blood donation and occurs in about 1 in 200 donations. This has, of course, an adverse
effect on the donor in itself, but also on their subsequent attitude towards donation and might therefore also negatively impact the donor’s return to the blood centre. EBA, ISBT and Syncopedia have collaborated to develop an online training course to prevent fainting.

To ensure donor safety, transfusion professionals should do their very best to prevent and recognise the early signs of fainting. To
raise the level of education, the EBA, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) and Syncopedia set to work on an online
course on fainting in donors.

The EBA Working Group on Education and Training partnered with these organisations and carefully wrote and recorded nine modules,
with the assistance of the Academic Medical Centre of Amsterdam. These modules will provide insight and knowledge on the stages
before fainting, during fainting and afterwards and, naturally, on how to prevent fainting, or vasovagal collapses, as they are called.

The modules are now freely available for all to watch and learn through the Syncopedia website. The EBA and ISBT are continuing the work and developing test questions
and a certificate for those successfully completing the test.