Knowledge, Towards, and Practice of Blood Donation: a Cross-Sectional Study in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Insufficient blood supply negatively affects transfusion-dependent patients. Sustaining adequate blood units relies on community education. As future healthcare professionals, medical science students may assist in increasing the number of blood donations. This study assessed blood donation knowledge among medical science students at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Twenty-three questions were administered in an online survey to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of medical science students regarding blood donation. A chi-squared test was used to examine associations with the status of the blood donation. RESULTS: A total of 286 students from four departments responded to the questionnaire. Remarkably, higher contributions regarding knowledge and attitude questions were observed in female participants, compared to male participants. Furthermore, students that donated blood demonstrated greater awareness of their blood group (p < 0.05), minimum weight legibility, and knowledge regarding the duration of the blood donation procedure (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study assessed the KAP regarding blood donation among medical science students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the most commonly reported barrier was the belief that the individual was not sufficiently fit or healthy to donate. Consequently, targeted education is crucial to emphasize the importance of blood donation and mitigate hospital blood shortages, especially for patients who require blood transfusion units regularly.