Blood Donation Knowledge Among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia

Background: Improving global access to secure blood holds paramount importance for supporting medical interventions vital to saving lives. As students and professionals in the medical field are pivotal in informing and motivating the public to donate blood, this study investigated the awareness of blood donation requirements and protocols among undergraduate health sciences students at King Khalid University. Methods: A total of 106 students participated in the study. Google Forms was used to generate the survey and to collect data, and GraphPad Prism was used to visualize and analyze the data extracted from the form. Results: The study population was predominantly male (63.2% male vs. 36.8% female). Participants demonstrated a good understanding on questions pertaining to blood storage, transmitted infections, and the minimum weight requirement for donation. Divergent responses were observed regarding the optimal age for donation, minimal blood volume, fasting requirements, and the minimum interval between donations. Conclusions: The results of our study indicate a pressing need to enhance knowledge of blood donation among students in medical fields, particularly given the crucial role of health professionals in educating the public. Greater awareness will promote a greater frequency of donations and a wider dissemination of accurate information concerning blood donation protocols. (Clin. Lab. 2024;70:1154-1158. DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2024.240128)