The Practice of Blood Donation and Its Related Factors Among Medical Professionals Working in Public Hospitals in Hawassa City, Sidama, Ethiopia, in 2025

Blood is a crucial resource for modern healthcare, necessary for surgeries, trauma care, and treating various illnesses. However, many countries, particularly developing ones, face chronic blood shortages, which negatively affect patient care and outcomes. Health professionals, due to their medical expertise and influence, are a key potential source of blood donations. Understanding their donation practices, and associated factors is essential to develop targeted interventions to boost donation rates, ensure a stable blood supply, and improve overall healthcare delivery by creating a more reliable and safe blood supply. The aim of the study was to assess the blood donation practice and associated factors among health professionals in public hospitals in Hawassa city, 2025. An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed. A stratified random sampling technique was used, drawing from the payroll of health professionals from five governmental hospitals, with a total sample size of 372 participants were responded. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, entered and coded into kobo tool, then exported to SPSS version 20 for bivariate logistic regression analysis with a 95% confidence interval and a p-value < 0.05 for statistical significance. This study found that the practice of blood donation is low (28.4%,) at 95% CI (23.8, 32.9) meaning poor practice. Age, Sex, Marital status, educational status and attitudinal perception about blood donation were significantly associated with a blood donation practice at 5% level of significance. Respondents who were in age group of 20-28 years were 3.4 times (AOR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.6, 8). male was 1.7 times (AOR=1.7, 95% CI: 1, 3), Being in married was 2 times (AOR: 2, 95% CI (1, 4), Positive attitudinal & perception about blood donation were 6.8 times (AOR: 6.8, 95% CI: 3.5, 13) and Respondents who had MSC and above were 3.8 times (AOR: 6.8, 95% CI 1.3, 7.8) were significantly associated about good practice of blood donation. In this study the practice of blood donation is poor. Age, Sex, Marital status, educational status and attitudinal & perception about blood donation were significantly associated with blood donation practice.