Who Donates More; Medical or Non-Medical Students

Objectives: To assess and compare the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding blood donation among medical and non-medical students of Karachi. Methods: Research Venue: The institutes included Dow Medical College (DMC), Sindh Medical College (SMC), NED, Karachi University (KU), IBA, Sir Syed University of Engineering &Technology (SSUET) and others. Subjects: The age of sample ranges between 18-25 yrs. Sample size was 500 students; 250 medical n 250 non- medical. Study Design and Duration: A cross sectional study was conducted in various institutes of Karachi from 1st Oct, 2008 to 1st March, 2009; through aÊpre-tested close-endedÊquestionnaire in English. Its designÊwas simple and aimed at student's level of understanding.ÊÊThe topics addressed included knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding blood donation. Results: Among 500 individuals, 38 out of 250 medical students (15.2%) while 50 out of 250 non-medical students (20%) were donors. Altogether 17.6% students were donors out of which 5.4%Êwere regular donors. Major reasons for donation among medical students were 'humanity' (63%), family and friends; and among non-medical students were ‘humanity’ (46%), family and friends. Reasons for non-donation among medical students were 'no one ever asked me' (59.4%), "i'm too weak", "services not trustworthy" and "future weakness" and among non-medical students were 'no one ever asked me' (36%), "future weakness", "services not trustworthy", "afraid of needles". Source of motivation among medical student donors was "self" (47.3%) while among non-medical was "friends" (36%). Most medical donors donated at blood bank (42.1%), while non- medical at hospital (64%).15.9% donors faced complications after blood donation. Conclusion: There is lack of motivation and misconceptions regarding blood donation among the students. This needs encouragements regarding blood donation particularly through electronic media