Exploring clinical perspectives: A scoping review of the healthcare provider’s views into the challenges of dealing with vasovagal reactions among whole blood donors in Singapore

Blood donation is an essential practice to help save many lives. In Singapore, blood donors donate whole blood or a blood component of either a platelet or a plasma through a voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation which plays an important role in the national goal of securing a supply of safe blood products. Although blood donation is a safe process, there’s still a worrying percentage among the group of blood donors having adverse reactions during or after the procedure. One of these is vasovagal reaction, also known as vasovagal syncope, that is usually characterized by weakness, sweating, dizziness, or pallor before the sudden loss of consciousness which poses a significant concern within the context of blood donation as it interferes in the whole process and potentially raising major issues regarding the blood donor’s safety. Managing vasovagal reaction has already been well-documented in the literature, however, challenges posed by it may vary, potentially affecting the entire blood donation process. Therefore, this scoping review seeks to explore vast literature covering the healthcare providers’ views of the challenges encountered while managing vasovagal reactions among whole blood donors.