Introduction
Human blood is most important body fluid in saving lives. The focus was on encouraging voluntary blood donation. National Voluntary Blood Donation Day is 1st Oct.1 Voluntary unpaid blood donors has lowest prevalence of HIV, hepatitis viruses and other blood-borne infections.2 That’s why stress should be given on voluntary, non- remunerated blood donation.
Medical college students can serve as a readily available pool of voluntary blood donors for the attached medical college and hospitals. However, some studies have also shown poor blood donation practice among the students in spite of relatively good knowledge of voluntary blood donation.
According to World Health Organization yearly blood donation should be 3-5%. 3 Blood can only be gained from generous donors. 4 Knowledge plays major role in blood donation.5
Worldwide studies regarding knowledge about blood donation shows.
Table 0
|
|
Regarding Knowledge about blood donation |
Percentage (%) |
|
1. |
Gondar6 |
48.2 |
|
2. |
Ambo 7 |
40.4 |
|
3. |
Samara 8 |
54.0 |
|
4. |
Woliyta Sodo 4 |
82.6 |
|
5. |
Harar 9 |
43.5 |
|
6. |
Saudi Arabia 10 |
66.7 |
|
7. |
Malaysia 11 |
97.1 |
|
8. |
Pakistan 12 |
98.0 |
|
9. |
Iran 2 |
15.5 |
Our aims and objectives were following:-
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Bharti Vidyapeeth (DU) Medical College & Hospital, Sangli, in Maharastra, July to September 2023. It was a cross-sectional study during which baseline knowledge about blood donation was assessed by the help of structured questionnaire and education about blood donation was provided for the participants and the knowledge to blood donation was reassessed.
Sample size
All the undergraduate medical students present, who expressed their consent for participation were enrolled in the study.
Study methodology
The reason and the process of the study was share to all students who were there in the appropriate classroom on survey day, and an informed consent for participation was taken. For data collection, a pretested, close‑ended, structured questionnaire was distributed to the study participants. Basic information and information regarding knowledge of blood donation was extracted using the same questionnaire. After the collection of the baseline information, a brief interactive awareness session, along with a detailed PowerPoint presentation addressing knowledge of blood donation, was organized for the participants and their knowledge about blood donation was again noted at the end of the session.
Consent and Ethical Issues
The approval of Institutional Ethics Review Committee was taken before starting the study.
Results
A total of five hundred undergraduate medical students enrolled. The knowledge of blood donation was assessed by questions assessing general knowledge about blood donation, criteria for donor selection and knowledge regarding infections that can be transmitted through transfusion of contaminated blood.
Before and after educational intervention, analysis of the result was done and tabulated as under in the form of tables (A,B,C).
Table 0
Table 0
Table 0
Knowledge to donate blood after interactive session using a power point presentation
An interactive session on voluntary blood donation was held for the participants, following which their knowledge about blood donation was reassessed.
The overall knowledge of voluntary blood donation increased from 67% to 89.9%.
Discussion
Different scale of knowledge were noted. Devi et al. study reported 33.1%. 13 Similarly, by Bharatwaj et al. 14 Kowsalya et al., 15 Bachhotiya et al. reported as 44.8%. 16 Furthermore, a high level of willingness to donate blood in future is expressed in most of the studies. These findings highlight the need to hold regular teaching and training programs for medical students aimed at educating them about safe and voluntary blood donation so that the gaps in knowledge can be bridged and the willingness to donate blood can be translated into actual blood donation. In a study by Kumari and Raina, the main reasons reported for not donating blood are fear of needles, concerns regarding adverse effects, disapproval of the family, and “never being asked for.”17 Similar concerns have been expressed by respondents in various other studies.18, 13, 14
In our study participants were found to have good overall knowledge about blood donation (67%). Similar findings have been reported by Kumari and Raina (81.5%) among college students in Jammu and in a KAP study among Thai students by Wiwanitkit.17, 19 The participants in the present study had good knowledge about some donor selection criteria such as age range, minimum hemoglobin, and body weight required, however, showed a gap in knowledge about the criteria related to some common physiological (pregnancy, menstruation, etc.,) and pathological states . Similarly, even though the participants were well informed about transfusion transmissible infections such as HIV and hepatitis B, they lacked relatively in knowledge about modes of transmission of malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B and E, HIV etc. Hence, there is a need for organizing awareness generation activities regarding voluntary blood safety and donation for the medical students.
In this study, 87% of students were aware of their blood groups. Similar reported by Devi et al.,13 Nwa bueze et al. (99.6%), 20 and Agravat et al. (96%). 21 According to the students, the reasons for this high level of awareness regarding their own blood were that they were required to fill this information in their school health cards.
The most common source of information about blood donation reported by the study participants was from educational institutions such as school and college (74%), followed by television (36%), through blood donation camps (31%), newspapers (28%), internet (21%), friends (19%), and parents (17%). This highlights the fact that more emphasis should be given to educational institution‑based awareness programs for blood donation and the inclusion of this topic in school and college curriculum.
Conclusion
Undergraduate medical students had good baseline knowledge about blood donation and this further improved after blood donation education intervention. That’s why it is important to educate potential blood donors for maintaining pool of voluntary blood donors.
Generalizing the findings of this study must be done with caution because it was carried out among medical students who were in their clinical stage of training.
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