AABB’s Donor History Questionnaire (DHQ) is recognized by Food and Drug Administration as an acceptable method of screening donors of blood and blood components.
In the on-demand AABB Annual Meeting session “Keeping up with the Donor History Task Force – Implementation of DHQ Version 3.0,” speakers described which circumstances require updates to the DHQ and shared what changes staff may find in DHQ version 3.0, which is currently undergoing Food and Drug Administration review.
What to Expect in DHQ Version 3.0: While DHQ v3.0 is still undergoing FDA review and cannot be considered final, Mary Townsend, MD, senior medical director at Vitalant and chair of the Donor History Task Force (DHTF), shared several of the proposed revisions to the DHQ.
Significant changes include the following:
- Revisions to Question 3, v2.1, related to donor pregnancy. All donors will be asked if they have ever been pregnant and if they are currently pregnant.
- Revisions to Question 39, v2.1, related to bleeding conditions and blood diseases. Donors will be asked whether they have hemophilia or a related clotting factor deficiency.
- Flexible options for establishing the “day of donation” using a 24-hour timeframe rather than calendar day. Blood collectors must define “day of donation” in their SOPs.
v3.0 also includes new questions that address receipt of medications to prevent HIV infection (either pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis) or to treat an established HIV infection (antiretroviral therapy) in the 3 months preceding the donation. Similarly, an additional new question addresses receipt of injectable medications to prevent HIV in the preceding 2 years.
Additional revisions to v3.0 reflect FDA guidance related to risk of HIV transmission (August 2020) and risk of CJD/vCJD transmission (May 2022).
