Exploring Italians’ knowledge of, and perceptions and feelings about stem cell donation: a GITMO-IBMDR nationwide survey

Background-The current stem cell donor shortage is likely partially due to many individuals’ lack of knowledge, beliefs and feelings about the donation process. The aim of this study was to explore these factors to provide the Italian Bone Marrow Donor Registry with information to guide and optimize their awareness campaigns. Materials and methods-A nationwide anonymous online survey was developed on behalf of the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto di Midollo Osseo and shared on various online platforms. The data were analyzed for frequencies and central tendency values, and geographic areas (Northern, Central and Southern Italy), sex and median age were compared. Results-The average age of the 1,518 recruited participants was 37.6 (±13.3) years, and 1,142 (75.2%) were females. Half of the sample (No.=759) was from Southern Italy, 213 (14%) from Central Italy and 546 (36.0%) from Northern Italy. Of the sample, 87.9% knew about The Italian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and 72.4% were aware that donor centers recruit donors. Respondents from the north, females and older individuals knew significantly more about the stem cell donation process; on a 4-point Likert scale, 55.7% of the sample reported the strongest sense of solidarity, 36.8% felt the most gratification and 39.4% the most satisfaction. Respondents from Southern Italy systematically had significantly higher levels of negative feelings. Discussion-Our findings identified a specific group of potential donors who systematically correlated with lower awareness about stem cell donation; educational campaigns should target this group.