A Comparison of the Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Motivation Towards Blood Donation Among Albanian, Saudi and Turkish Citizens

Abstract

Background and Objectives Blood donation is a remarkably safe medical procedure. However, it is affected by attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge level. A knowledge, attitude, and practice survey was carried out in Albania, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Turkey to understand and identify: (1) the factors that influence blood donation, and stop people from blood donation, (2) the behavior and approach of the people towards blood donation (3) the knowledge level among donors and non-donors, and (4) the blood donation-related misconceptions. Materials and Methods This search was conducted through online surveys using Google Forms, which were shared through social media platforms, ie, Facebook, WhatsApp, Gmail, etc. A self-administered questionnaire form was shared to random people through social media platforms and 1281 responses were received. Results A total of 1281 forms were filled and submitted through Google Forms. Among these answers, 858 were from Albania, 273 were from KSA, 90 were from Turkey, and the remaining was from other countries. According to the answers, only 32% people were blood donors in Albania compared to 46% in KSA and Turkey. The factors primarily encouraging the people in Albania, Turkey, and KSA to donate blood included intention to help others in need, save lives, and help their family members. The primary reasons preventing people from blood donation included that they were not asked and some medical reasons. In Albania 88.6% would donate if asked, compared to 86% in KSA and in 77.7% in Turkey 77.7%. Conclusion Despite considerable differences in the culture and demographics of the three countries, several common factors emerged from the surveys. Some of these results reflected an encouraging attitude toward blood donation. Further future planning with emphasis on educational programs and more organizations of donor recruitment campaigns can increase blood donations to fulfill the patients’ needs in these countries.

Factors contributing to the low number of blood donors among employed residents in Oshatumba village, Namibia

“…This includes placing greater emphasis on the fact that blood donations are not associated with health risks to donors who are healthy. 35 Alreshidi and Sula 36 suggested a need for future planning, with emphasis on educational programmes and awareness campaigns by organisations, as an effective approach to dispel misconceptions and motivate potential blood donors.…”

Doação de sangue durante a pandemia da Covid-19: conhecimentos, práticas e atitudes dos estudantes de medicina

“…Os jovens constituem público-alvo para doação de sangue pela tendência de serem saudáveis, dinâmicos e com muitos anos de vida pela frente 10,11 . Entretanto, captar e fidelizar doadores é um grande desafio para os serviços de hemoterapia 4, [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] . Este estudo analisou CAPs dos estudantes de medicina frente à escassez de sangue iniciada em março de 2020 e perpetuada a partir do mês de abril do mesmo ano, devido à instauração de um cenário pandêmico pela COVID-19 [27][28][29][30][31][32] , revelando os principais pontos a serem trabalhados e divulgados, com o intuito de ajudar no desenvolvimento das próximas campanhas de doação de sangue e entender as principais barreiras e incentivos, a fim de obter um maior número de doadores.…”

“…Quanto à frequência em que se pode doar sangue, 54,9% dos não doadores e cerca de 20% dos doadores responderam de forma incorreta, da mesma forma como em um estudo que englobou os cidadãos albaneses, sauditas e turcos 23 . Com relação à quantidade de sangue doado em cada coleta, 26,4% dos não doadores e uma pequena parcela de 8,2% dos doadores responderam de forma equivocada.…”

Do incentives work to motivate voluntary blood donation?

“…As shown in Table 1, some scholars have suggested that blood donors should be aware of the incentives before donating (Chell et al, 2018). Some research has shown that monetary incentives appear to “crowd out” blood donors’ intrinsic motivations (e.g., feeling good about themselves or gaining social acceptance), thereby reducing the frequency of their blood donations (Alreshidi & Sula, 2022; Chell et al, 2018; Lacetera & Macis, 2010; Lacetera et al, 2012). Some studies have shown that monetary incentives can increase people's blood donation behavior (Ferrari et al, 1985; Iajya et al, 2013; Lacetera et al, 2012) and increase with the value of the reward (Iajya et al, 2013).…”