(P-BC-25) Does Method of Appointment Influence Donor Show Rate? Our Center’s Experience

Background/Case Studies: Blood donors book and rebook appointments at our collection location in a variety of ways. A donor can book the appointment themselves through their online donor portal or through the donor app. A third party can book their appointment through telerecruitment (internal group as well as an external telerecruitment group), drive chairpersons or account managers of a drive, or bedside rebooking during a donation. Our center looked at the distribution of how donor appointments are made, as well as if a particular method of booking influences a donor’s show rate for that appointment.

Study

Design/Methods: Blood donor appointment booking and show rate data were pulled from our donor recruitment database for a 15-month period (January 2023 through March 2024). A donor who presented to donate on the appointment day is defined as having shown regardless of whether a donation was made.

Results/Findings: During the 15-month period, a total of 208,305 appointments were made. Table 1 shows the data stratified by mode of appointment booking. Data indicate that a donor making their own appointment (whether through the app or website) has the highest show rate.

Conclusions:

Show rates are highest with appointments booked by the donor, whether through the mobile app or the website. This may be due to the fact that when a donor makes their own appointment, they have specifically made time in their day to look at their schedule and create an appointment, indicating a higher intention to fulfill that appointment. The highest show rate was for donors making an appointment through the app. This may be due to the concept that a person will only download an app if they perceive a high level of engagement with that organization and that engagement is reflected in the show rate. This data can be utilized to increase show rate by creating easier ways for donors to book their appointments and to enhance our app to increase donor usage of the app.