Nearly a third of Americans don’t know their blood type, according to an USANA-sponsored survey conducted by OnePoll. Experts like Donald Karcher, MD, FCAP, president of the College of American Pathologists, say that number is even higher.

“Probably more than half of people don’t know their blood type,” Dr. Karcher said told Verywell Health. “Most people just haven’t gotten that information or didn’t think of it as something that was important to have.” 

Not knowing your blood type can be problematic in certain situations, eg, if you’re involved in an accident and require a transfusion or need to donate blood to someone else. 

Blood tests—both at-home testing kits and tests administered by a doctor, blood donations, and saliva tests can all tell you what your blood type is. Advantages and drawbacks exist for each of the options in terms of reliability, affordability, accessibility. As a pathologist—the physicians who oversee blood bank operations—Dr. Karcher weighs in. 

Read the full article on Verywell Health.