DUBLIN, Ireland, 20th May 2025: Abbott, the global healthcare company, today unveils two new mixed reality experiences to support the need for more blood, platelet and plasma donations in Ireland. The experiences aim to reduce fear in donors and encourage more younger people to donate.
Only 3% of people eligible in Ireland donate blood, yet 3,000 blood donors are needed every week and one in four people in Ireland will require donated blood at some point in their lifetime. Just one donation can save up to three lives. Critically, there is no substitute for human blood1.
A study with two blood centers in the US found that the use of mixed reality decreased anxiety in 68% of donors and 89% of donors reported they were very or extremely likely to donate again2.
Participants wear lightweight headsets with a translucent visor, so the eyes of donors are always visible to clinical staff, ensuring constant monitoring and evaluation. Intergalactica is a new experience designed using gaming engagement principles in which donors build a team of robots to explore planets, solve puzzles, and defeat enemies – and Irish donors will be the first in the world to experience it. In another mixed reality experience called Zen Garden, donors listen to soothing music while planting seeds. Both experiences will be piloted in partnership with the Irish Blood Transfusion Service for a limited time, between May and June.
Joana Araujo, Global Marketing Director, Transfusion Medicine, Abbott said: "As a global leader in health technology, Abbott is always exploring new ways in which innovations can help improve the donor experience. These headsets balance complex computing with a simple insight – many people fear donating blood and mixed reality technology makes it easier to donate blood by giving the donors something else to focus on while they give blood. We hope that the improved experience leads to more people wanting to donate blood in Ireland."
Paul McKinney, Director of Donor Services and Logistics, IBTS said: "This innovative technology introduces a gaming-like experience which evidence and feedback suggests makes blood, platelet and plasma donation less intimidating and more fun for the donor. We also hope it will encourage many people, of all ages, who want to donate but have been nervous about doing so in the past."
Abbott is a leader in transfusion medicine, helping people live longer, healthier lives by working to keep the global blood supply safe. Abbott works with blood and plasma centers to screen more than 50 percent of the world’s blood supply2.
The pilot initiative will run between May and June in a number of IBTS donation centres in Dublin and Cork.
Joana Araujo, Senior Director, Global Marketing, Transfusion Medicine, Abbott, will speak about the importance of blood and the power of distraction therapy at the Pint of Science Festival in Dublin on 19th May and in Cork on 20th May. Visit www.pintofscience.ie for more details.
About Abbott
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.
Abbott in Ireland
Abbott has been operating in Ireland since 1946 and serves the Irish market with a diverse range of healthcare products including diagnostics, diabetes care, medical devices and nutritional products. In Ireland, Abbott currently employs about 6,000 people across ten sites located in Dublin, Donegal, Clonmel, Cootehill, Galway, Kilkenny, Longford and Sligo.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
About the US Study
The pilot study was conducted at sites operated by Impact Life of Davenport, Iowa, and Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center in Houston during February and March 2023. Researchers affiliated with Stanford University and Stanford Blood Center, Johns Hopkins University and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Abbott, Blood Centers of America, Impact Life and Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center conducted and authored the study.
Abbott Media:
Nikki Gordon, +353 (0) 87 341 7886
1Irish Blood Transfusion Service - Did you Know? - Irish Blood Transfusion Service (Accessed April 2025)
2Abbott Factsheet - Abbott_Alinity_s_FactSheet.pdf (Accessed April 2025)
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