ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE (KAP) REGARDING BLOOD DONATION AMONG FIRST YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN A GOVERNMENT MEDICAL COLLEGE IN KASHMIR VALLEY

Background: Voluntary blood donor remains the cornerstone of blood transfusion services. Medical students constitute a significant readily available pool of potential long-term donors for the associated hospitals. However, there exists a large gap between their knowledge, attitude and actual blood donation practices. The study aims to assess Knowledge, Attitude and practice (KAP) regarding blood donation among first year undergraduate students in a Government Medical College in Kashmir and to spread the knowledge regarding voluntary blood donations among the future health care providers. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was employed in 92 students for the assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding voluntary blood donation in first year undergraduate medical students. A pre-tested close-ended questionnaire was designed according to the basic level of awareness regarding voluntary blood donation. After the collection of the filled questionnaire, a brief interactive awareness session was addressed to all the students of the batch regarding voluntary blood donation. The data collected was entered using SPSS (version 24) software. Results: A total of 92 students participated in the study, of whom 50 (54.34%) were males and 42 (45.66%) were females. The most common blood group was O (35.8%) followed by B (29.3%) and A (26.08%) while the least prevalent was AB (8.82%). Rh positivity was found in 90.2% of the students while Rh negativity in 9.8%. Around 80.4% of the students answered correctly regarding the minimum age for blood donation is 18 years, 63.04% knew the minimum required haemoglobin level was 12.5 g/dl. Majority of the students knew that blood donation cannot infect a donor (86.9%) and that donated blood was screened for transfusion transmitted infections (70.6%) while comparatively lower correct responses were observed for minimum interval between two whole blood donations (56.5%), minimum weight requirement for blood donation (50%) and minimum permissible donation interval (56.5%). Conclusion: This study exposes a pronounced disparity between knowledge, attitude and the actual practice of blood donation among young medical students who can act as vital reservoirs of prospective, long- term blood donations. So, a need arises to develop targeted interventions such as awareness initiatives directed towards medical students which will guarantee a lifelong advocacy for safe and voluntary blood donation within the community.