AbstractThis study is based upon interviews with 74 individuals found to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐seropositive through the screening of blood donations between January 1988 and December 1990. The donation history and the risk factor of HIV infection were established. Questions about the use of blood donation as a diagnostic test and on the notion of a predonation medical interview evoking the risk factor were asked. The majority of the individuals had a risk factor of HIV infection and had given their blood for serological testing. This data can help to adapt the predonation medical interview to the present epidemiological context of HIV infection. The improvement of this interview will contribute to the decrease of the residual transfusional risk of HIV infectio