Background: Inspiration among and participation of medical students is essential to make the “voluntary blood donation” movement a success. By assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of blood donation, donor mobilization and retention strategies can be designed and optimally modified. In this study, knowledge about voluntary blood donation in medical interns was undertaken because by the end of their MBBS course they are supposed to have understood the importance of blood donation and become capable motivators for blood donation amongst potential donors in public.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 111 interns of Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai using universal sampling method. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: Mean age of interns was 23.13 years with standard deviation of 0.832 of which girls comprised 48.6%. Forty seven point seven percent interns had donated blood before. The correct knowledge was prevalent in 45.0% only. Practice of blood donation amongst interns had male propensity and positive correlation with gender difference (p value 0.001). Most interns (79.3%) donated for moral satisfaction and social responsibility The commonest reason in the non-donors, for not donating was being medically unfit for donating (69.0%).Conclusions: Almost half (55.0%) of the medical students under study didn’t have adequate knowledge on blood safety and donor eligibility. Majority of them intended to donate blood in future however, a very few had ever actually donated blood. Increased awareness about blood donation among medical interns is expected to have amplified effects in the society, as an aware and motivated doctor can motivate and mobilize many others for voluntary non-remunerated blood donation and thus blood safety.

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Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) defined by the International Continence Society as the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine, is a social or hygiene problem. The purpose of this study was to determine how UI affected quality of life (QOL) of women in urban slum in Mumbai and also their health care seeking behavior for the same.Methods: A pre-formed, pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was designed for a centre based study, to collect information from 1200 eligible and willing women over a period of 6 months. Of these 361 had complaints of UI how had the UI affected their quality of life and whether they sought health care for treatment of same was studied. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analysis was done accordingly.Results: Of the 361 women who had UI, the QOL was affected as in avoiding social interactions 45.15%, avoiding religious functions 49.03%, feeling of emotional upset/distress 59.8% and hampering of domestic work 57.8%. The extra financial burden felt due to UI was only in 7.7% women and only 1.9% complained of sexual life getting affected. Health care services for treatment of UI were sought by only 24.1% of the affected women.Conclusions: That UI affected the QOL of women affected with it in terms of reduced social interactions and attendance at religious programs and the feeling of emotional upset and hampering of domestic works. Subjects felt their financial burden had increased due to UI.

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