Without blood and plasma, many medical treatments would not be possible. Blood is needed, for example, during surgery, emergencies and childbirth. Plasma forms the basis for medicines used to treat immune disorders and rare diseases, among other conditions. Donors are therefore essential to making this care possible.
Ciaușescu investigated how people learn about blood and plasma donation throughout their lives, and which social spaces can help raise awareness of what donation involves and why donors are needed. “This is not a topic people naturally talk about or are regularly exposed to. You therefore cannot expect someone to become a donor five minutes after hearing about donation for the first time,” says the researcher.
Donation through family
One striking finding is that blood donation often has a family history. An analysis of more than 31,000 Dutch blood donors shows that almost 38 per cent have a parent or child who is also a donor. Children of parents who donate frequently are also more likely to become donors themselves later in life.
But not everyone grows up in a family where donation is a familiar topic. That is why other spaces where people can learn what donation means are also important, says Ciaușescu. She tested an educational video game about plasma donation at NEMO Science Museum with children and young people aged 8 to 17. Before and after playing the game, they answered questions about plasma and blood donation. Afterwards, their knowledge had clearly increased.
A call for schools
In her research, Ciaușescu therefore argues that blood and plasma donation should have a place in education. In the United Kingdom, this has already been made a compulsory part of the curriculum for pupils aged 11 to 16. This is not the case in the Netherlands.
According to Ciaușescu, this is a missed opportunity. Schools reach almost all children, including those who do not come into contact with donation at home. In addition, children often take what they learn back home. “Education can reach not only future generations, but also their parents and wider environment. We know that awareness is an important first step in the donation process. That is precisely why it matters where and how people first learn about blood and plasma donation.”
Alexandra Ciaușescu will defend her PhD thesis, Learning to donate: Exploring existing and creating new spaces for learning about donating blood products, on Thursday 4 June 2026. More information can be found here.