Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Blood Donation Among Undergraduate Medical Students in Azad Kashmir

Objective To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of undergraduate medical students of Poonch Medical College about blood donation. Methods This cross-sectional study was done using a 27-item, validated, interviewer-administered questionnaire involving undergraduate medical students from March to October 2018. Informed consent and ethical clearance were secured. Results A total of 318 undergraduate medical students (response rate of 63.6%) was included in this study. Most respondents knew the difference between whole blood and blood components (294; 92.5%) and they also believed that spreading knowledge of blood donation among the health workers is a necessity (306; 96.2%). There was a statistically significant correlation between knowledge and attitude (p .021). Overall knowledge was higher among the female students (p = .019). Conclusion The study revealed an overall good level of knowledge and attitude among medical students. However, there are still areas of improvement such as blood donation and vaccination-related knowledge. The study also identified important facilitators and barriers to blood donation.