Abstract
<jats:p>This guide consolidates the most recent criteria and conditions for selecting potential blood donors, with the aim of ensuring a safe and stable blood supply through voluntary, regular donation by compassionate individuals. It promotes a coordinated, multidisciplinary framework and a donor eligibility strategy that carefully assesses individual risk factors. The purpose of donor selection is to ensure that the donation does not compromise the donor’s health, the recipient’s health, or the quality of the collected blood product. Prospective donors must be made aware of the basic requirements for blood donation before deciding to donate. This information should be provided through educational materials that also explain the steps in the process, the precautions donors should take before and after donation, and the blood service’s contact information, where any adverse reactions can be reported, as well as situations that may affect their eligibility, enabling donors to provide informed consent for their donation. This guide serves as a resource for developing these educational and informational materials for donors. Each country, through its national blood system, should establish selection criteria to minimize the risk of accepting infected individuals and to protect blood recipients, based on scientific information and international standards. Additionally, the guide aims to connect donor selection criteria with other strategies in the transfusion safety chain, such as the promotion of voluntary blood donation, good manufacturing practices, and epidemiological surveillance or hemovigilance, while highlighting the impact of blood donation on other health-related and social initiatives. This guide aims to serve as a reference for health ministries, health authorities, national regulatory authorities, and blood services in reviewing and updating the criteria, processes, and conditions required for the care and selection of blood donors, which should ensure the safety of donors and recipients alike. Additionally, it encourages system stakeholders to maintain and strengthen repeated blood donation, which is essential for ensuring a self-sufficient, safe blood supply.</jats:p>