Trends in Clinical and Medical Sciences
Special issue: Indian Medical Research Views and Findings on Last 5 years (2023), pp. 319 – 323
ISSN: 2791-0814 (online) 2791-0806 (Print)
DOI: 10.30538/psrp-tmcs2023.si-imrv048
ISSN: 2791-0814 (online) 2791-0806 (Print)
DOI: 10.30538/psrp-tmcs2023.si-imrv048
Knowledge, attitude and practice in relation to blood donation among the medical students: A cross sectional analysis
Dr. Asha Gunjaliya\(^{1}\), Dr. Nirmal P. Patel\(^{2}\) and Dr. Ushma S. Patel\(^{3,*}\)
\(^{1}\) Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat.
\(^{2}\) Assistant Professor, Department of otorhinolaryngology, GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat.
\(^{3}\) Senior Resident, Department of Pathology, GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Ushma S. Patel at ushmapatel@live.com
Copyright © 2023 Dr. Asha Gunjaliya, Dr. Nirmal P. Patel and Dr. Ushma S. Patel. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: December 2, 2022 – Accepted: May 5, 2023 – Published: May 20, 2023
Abstract
Background and Aim: Blood scarcity is a common problem in hospitals and is caused by an imbalance between the rising demand for safe blood and blood products on the one hand and the failure to organize regular blood supply as a result of misconceptions, perceived harms and risks, and a lack of motivation among potential donors. Determining students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about voluntary blood donation was the goal of the study.
Material and Methods: The study, which lasted a year, involved undergraduate medical students from the Department of Pathology, GMERS MEDICAL College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared by referring to various published articles and was validated by concern experts. The questionnaire was further refined by doing a pilot study among students. The first section of the four-part questionnaire asks about participants’ fundamental characteristics. In the second section, 14 multiple-choice and yes-or-no questions were used to gauge students’ knowledge levels. While there were three practice questions provided as yes/no and multiple-choice questions, there were six questions to gauge attitude in the third and fourth sections. Participants’ responses were evaluated, with >50% being deemed to have high knowledge and 50% having low knowledge.
Results: The majority of participants (93.12%) had heard of blood donation and 96.4% were aware of its significance. Less than 50% of study participants were unaware of the quantity and duration of blood donations. Of the total respondents, 98.11% believed that giving blood saves lives, 96.9% thought it was a good habit, 89.11% thought voluntary blood donation was the best way to get safe blood, and 89.9% and 88.9% said they would be willing to give blood in the future and encourage their family members to do the same. Compared to male students, female students were 43% less likely to donate blood.
Conclusion: The study subjects had good knowledge and a good attitude towards blood donation. Although it is still uncommon, particularly among girls, for students to donate blood, this is true. This demonstrates the need for ongoing instructional and inspirational programmes to promote student blood donation on a voluntary basis.
Material and Methods: The study, which lasted a year, involved undergraduate medical students from the Department of Pathology, GMERS MEDICAL College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared by referring to various published articles and was validated by concern experts. The questionnaire was further refined by doing a pilot study among students. The first section of the four-part questionnaire asks about participants’ fundamental characteristics. In the second section, 14 multiple-choice and yes-or-no questions were used to gauge students’ knowledge levels. While there were three practice questions provided as yes/no and multiple-choice questions, there were six questions to gauge attitude in the third and fourth sections. Participants’ responses were evaluated, with >50% being deemed to have high knowledge and 50% having low knowledge.
Results: The majority of participants (93.12%) had heard of blood donation and 96.4% were aware of its significance. Less than 50% of study participants were unaware of the quantity and duration of blood donations. Of the total respondents, 98.11% believed that giving blood saves lives, 96.9% thought it was a good habit, 89.11% thought voluntary blood donation was the best way to get safe blood, and 89.9% and 88.9% said they would be willing to give blood in the future and encourage their family members to do the same. Compared to male students, female students were 43% less likely to donate blood.
Conclusion: The study subjects had good knowledge and a good attitude towards blood donation. Although it is still uncommon, particularly among girls, for students to donate blood, this is true. This demonstrates the need for ongoing instructional and inspirational programmes to promote student blood donation on a voluntary basis.
Keywords:
Attitude; Blood Donation; Knowledge; Practice.