AM23-MN-15-O: Directed Donations and COVID-19 Unvaccinated Donors: Ethical Framework and Practical Considerations (Enduring)

Hospitals and Blood Centers are increasingly faced with concern from patients and families who object to blood transfusion from COVID-19 vaccinated donors. With this concern, there have also been increased requests for directed donations. This session will highlight how blood suppliers may handle these requests for directed donations and blood from COVID-19 unvaccinated donors, provide a historical perspective on how segregation of blood supply from particular donors is problematic, how these requests affect the utilization of scarce resources, and provide ethical guidance. There will be a particular discussion of the ethical framework that hospitals and care teams can use to approach requests for directed donations and COVID-19 unvaccinated donors, how the approach may differ between adult and pediatric patients and the use of the Best Interest Standard, the Zone of Parental Discretion, and the Harm Principle.