Blood donation amidst the COVID pandemic: knowledge, attitude andpractice of non-medical professionals

摘要

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected blood transfusion services globally. A drastic reduction in blood donationhas been observed with potential donors hindered by apprehension and confusion. This study was conductedto assess knowledge, attitude and practice related to blood donation among non-medical workingprofessionals, with an emphasis on donation following COVID-19 infection and vaccination.MethodsA prospective, non-randomized study was conducted between June and October 2021 among non-medicalworking professionals, with graduate and above education, in the 20–45 years age group. A questionnaireconsisting of closed questions was emailed to the participants. Responses were recorded in a MS Excelspreadsheet and analyzed.ResultsA total of 238 participants were included in the study, and different occupations were represented. Engineers(40) constituted the majority. More than half (144, 61) of respondents had never donated blood before; oneof the main reasons for this is that they had been not approached to donate (47). 85 of the respondents feltthat they could donate blood after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination but 65 responded that they should not ifthey had ever been infected with COVID-19. The primary source of information regarding blood donation wasthrough academic training in colleges during their course (34) followed by mass media (25).ConclusionSeveral factors that hinder blood donation practice among non-medical working professionals, who are apotential source of blood donors, need to be addressed. These include low awareness of donation schemes andpoor understanding of who is and is not eligible to donate. Awareness programmes and blood donationcampaigns to motivate potential donors should be scheduled, not only to provide the opportunity to donate butalso to help eliminate misconceptions related to blood donation and COVID-19.