A lot of people choose not to donate blood because they are simply lazy. Many people could consider it to be an annoyance, a pain, and just plain a bother.
Naturally, there are those who choose not to donate blood due to the fear that consumes them at the mere thought of receiving a needlestick. Like dentists, practically everyone is afraid of needles.I couldn’t explain why, but I’m going to assume that this anxiety stems from a biological or evolutionary aversion that humans have formed in response to dangerous insects, given their long, sharp, and toxic limbs. It makes sense. It makes my skin crawl just to think about it. However, in any event, refusing to donate blood could result in the death of a person, whether due to fear or laziness.
An Excellent Method for Using SMS
The impact of blood donations is so great that they truly have the ability to save lives and come with almost no cost to the donor.
The Swedish blood service is spreading that message, and they have created a fairly innovative method of giving individuals the tiny boost they require. And guess what? They used the power of SMS to accomplish this.
The process is as follows: the hospital where the procedure was performed texts the donor to thank them for their donation. Furthermore, after the donor’s blood has been dispensed—that is, when it has entered the veins of another person—the hospital texts the donor.
According to The Independent, the program was a means for Sweden’s blood service to reestablish contact with young donors and revive a declining practice (not only in Sweden, but in industrialized nations worldwide).
Karolina Blom Wilberg, a communications manager at the Stockholm blood service, told The Independent, “We are always looking for new ways to convey (donors’) importance.” “We believe that this is a good way to give them feedback on their effort.” Knowing that you had a significant impact and may have even saved someone else’s life is a wonderful feeling.
Since we wouldn’t be writing about it otherwise, it is clear that the initiative has attracted public interest. It has also become quite popular on social media, with the positive boost it provides to its contributors spreading like a probiotic, reaching not just the donors but also people in their social networks and beyond.
Another aspect of this program is that donors or prospective contributors can sign a contract allowing authorities to lawfully harass them by Facebook, email, or text message until they make a donation. A regular, approved kick in the pants that some of us—including myself—need!
Using SMS to Make a Difference
There are other ways that SMS has been used for the benefit of society. SMS has being used in the UK to tell people in extremely polluted areas about the current air pollution levels in particular towns and cities. Those who have respiratory problems might use this knowledge to help them avoid these regions.
Another excellent example of the efficacy of SMS is Totohealth, a Kenyan organization that uses hospitals to send SMS messages to expectant moms, making sure they get the information they need before giving birth.
SMS has frequently been used to provide important and occasionally life-saving diagnoses in developing nations where not everyone has access to smartphones and the Internet. It has also been used to streamline the monitoring and regulation of life-saving medications in rural areas and, in Sweden, to speed up the process of reaching individuals who may be experiencing cardiac arrest.There is no denying SMS’s beneficial effects on a worldwide basis. It serves as a helpful reminder of the influence that this mode of communication has on people and organizations, regardless of their size, circumstances, or location in the world. Given the anticipated growth in technical innovation, which will enable increased mobile power and reach, it’s intriguing to consider the potential influence SMS may have on consumers in the years to come.