Blood Donation Attitudes and Knowledge of Medical School Students at the University of Crete, Greece: An Intra-Institutional Exploration.

Abstract

In the last decade, demand for blood has been increased internationally, while there is a consistent shortage of regular blood donors. Medical students are a potential pool of regular blood donors. The present study investigated the attitudes and knowledge of undergraduate medical students, regarding blood donation. During the May of 2023 data from 320 medical students of the University of Crete, Greece who were studying from the first to the sixth year were analyzed. It was a cross-sectional observational study and data collection was performed by completing an anonymous questionnaire with socio-demographic items and the Blood Donation Attitudes and Knowledge Scale. Three hundred twenty undergraduate students participated in this study. Sophomores accounted for 20.3& (n=65). Only 25.9& of the participants donated blood repeatedly. Most students (99.4&; p<0.001) believed that donating blood was a good act and 87.5& reported that religious beliefs should not influence blood donation (both p<0.001). The frequency of students in the 4th-6th year who achieved a high score in Attitudes and Knowledge scale was higher compared to the 1st-3rd year students (23.6% vs. 10.6%, p=0.002). Higher score on Attitudes and Knowledge about Donation was significantly associated with increased year of study (r=0.196, p<0.001). Moderate levels of Attitudes and Knowledge Scale about Blood Donation were reported with a significant tendency to increase along the years of study. Perhaps, medical students may mature their perception towards blood donation alongside with their training advancement in Medicine.