CogprintsStudy of Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices Related to Blood Donation Among the Healthcare Support Staff of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Gujarat, IndiaFaruqMullahauthorDineshKumarauthorDharaAntaniauthorMonicaGuptaauthorBackground: There is a serious mismatch between demand and availability of blood in our country. One of the important factors motivating people for donating blood is their interaction with staff of health facilities including support staff. The knowledge and perceptions of support staff about blood donation have not been studied adequately. Methodology: Data was collected from randomly selected 100healthcare support staff using a pretested questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on prior qualitative analysis of perceptions of few of the potential participants. Results: 91% of the respondents felt that blood donation was not safe. Only 16% had adequate knowledge about eligibility for blood donation and all of them were females. 39% respondents had donated blood themselves and 79% had family history of blood donation. None of the socio-demographic factors except young age were found to be associated with better knowledge or positive perceptions about blood donation. Many among those who had donated blood also did not perceive blood donation as safe. Apprehension about blood being not properly used and not having been approached by anyone were commonest reasons for not donating. Conclusions: The knowledge about safety, eligibility and motivation for blood donation is very poor among the healthcare support staff. Efforts must be made to educate these employees and promote voluntary blood donation among them. Various incentives as suggested by employees themselves and several international bodies may be considered to promote blood donation among healthcare support staff.Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences2013-04-15Kakkilaya BSJournal (On-line/Unpaginated)

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