Blood Donation: Fears and Myths in Healthcare Workers of the Future

Abstract

Maham Arshad, Ayesha Ellahi, Fahad Ahmed, Javaid Usman, Saleem Ahmed Khan Department of Pathology, National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi, PakistanCorrespondence: Maham Arshad, Email [email protected]: To determine the fears and myths related to blood donation in future health care workers.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out from October to December 2022 at the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Donors were selected according to the, WHO recommended, Safe Blood Transfusion Program of Pakistan criteria.Results: In total, 411 participants were included in the study. The individuals were 21– 24 years of age, with a mean age of 21 years. In our study, females dominated (232/411); the remaining 179 were males. Out of the total 411, 145 participants had previously donated blood while the other 266 had never donated blood. Our study analyzed both of these groups. The most common symptoms experienced by blood donors were dizziness, post-donation weakness, and bodily aches and pains. Most non-donors feared problems related to their general health (42.3%) and developing infections (12.7%). P-value was 0.002, which reveals a significant association between fears and intention to donate blood.Conclusion: These results suggest that fears and concerns related to blood donation play a leading role in forecasting donors’ attitudes and intentions. Motivation leads to inspiration and potential donors can be motivated by addressing their fear.Keywords: blood donation, fears, myths, healthcare workers

Keywords

• blood donation
• fears
• myths
• health care workers