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Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and practice towards voluntary blood donation among students of College of Health and Medical Technology/Shekhan

This cross-sectional study of 415 students at the College of Health and Medical Technology/Shekhan reveals a significant disparity between adequate blood donation knowledge (54.9%) and actual donation practice (7.95%), highlighting an untapped potential among willing students that requires curriculum revisions and continuous education to bridge.

Original authors: Sawer Sabri Ahmed

Published 2026-06-24

📖 4 min read☕ Coffee break read

CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Sawer Sabri Ahmed

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

Imagine a university campus as a giant, well-stocked warehouse. Inside this warehouse, there are thousands of young people (the students) who possess a special kind of "fuel" (blood) that could save lives. However, the warehouse doors are mostly locked, and very few people are actually taking that fuel out to use it.

This research paper is like a detective report investigating why the doors are locked. The author, Dr. Sawer Sabri Ahmed, went to the Shekhan College of Health and Medical Technology in Duhok to interview 415 students. The goal was to check three things:

Knowledge: Do they know how the fuel works?
Attitude: Do they like the idea of sharing it?
Practice: Have they actually shared it?

Here is the breakdown of what the study found, using simple analogies:

1. The Knowledge Gap: "The Library vs. The Bookstore"

Think of Knowledge as having a map to a treasure.

The Finding: About 55% of the students had a good map (adequate knowledge). They knew their blood type and that blood is tested for safety.
The Difference: The students studying Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) were like librarians who had read every book in the library. They knew significantly more than the students studying Public Health or Nursing, who were more like casual visitors to the bookstore.
The Age Factor: Older students (25+) had better maps than the younger ones, likely because they had more life experience to draw from.

2. The Attitude: "The Willing Crowd"

Think of Attitude as the crowd's willingness to help.

The Finding: Only about 37% of the students had a truly "favorable" attitude. This means they were enthusiastic and positive about donating.
The Willingness: However, a larger group (58%) said, "Yes, I would do it in the future." It's like a crowd saying, "I'd love to help, but I haven't been asked yet."
The Fear: A big chunk of the crowd was worried. Many believed donating could hurt them or that they might get sick from the needle.

3. The Practice: "The Empty Shelf"

Think of Practice as the actual act of handing over the fuel.

The Shocking Stat: Even though over half the students knew how to donate and more than half said they would donate, only 7.95% (about 33 students) had ever actually done it.
The Analogy: Imagine a stadium full of people cheering for a charity run. 90% say they want to run, but only 8% actually cross the starting line. That is the gap this study found.
Who Ran? The runners were mostly men and MLT students. The older students also ran more often than the younger ones.

Why Didn't They Donate? (The Barriers)

The study asked the students who didn't donate why they stayed on the sidelines. The reasons were like invisible walls:

The "No One Asked" Wall (35.6%): The biggest reason was simply that no one ever asked them to donate. They were waiting for an invitation that never came.
The "Fear" Wall (23.5%): Many were scared of getting an infection.
The "Location" Wall (20.6%): They didn't know where the blood bank was or how to get there.
The "Needle" Wall (14.4%): A fear of the needle itself.

The Conclusion and The Fix

The paper concludes that there is a massive gap between what students know and what they do. It's like having a car with a full tank of gas (knowledge) but never turning the key in the ignition (practice).

The Proposed Fixes:

Update the Syllabus: The paper suggests that the university's textbooks and lessons need to be rewritten to put more emphasis on voluntary blood donation.
Keep Learning: They recommend regular training sessions (Continuous Medical Education) to keep the students motivated and to fix their fears.
Just Ask: Since the biggest barrier was "no one asked," the study implies that simply inviting students to donate could unlock that huge pool of willing donors.

In short: The students at this college are smart and willing, but they are stuck in a waiting room. They need a clearer invitation and a little more reassurance to finally step up and donate.

Technical Summary: Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Towards Voluntary Blood Donation Among Students of College of Health and Medical Technology/Shekhan

Problem Statement
Voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD) is critical for maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply, yet recruiting and retaining donors remains a significant barrier globally. While younger populations represent a promising source for a sustainable blood supply, their participation is often hindered by diverse factors including lack of knowledge, fear of health hazards, and misconceptions regarding eligibility. In the Duhok region, specifically within the College of Health and Medical Technology at Shekhan, there was a lack of empirical data regarding the level of knowledge, attitudes, and actual practices of health science students toward blood donation. This study aimed to fill this information gap by evaluating these variables among undergraduate students in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT), Public Health, and Nursing departments.

Methodology

Study Design and Setting: A cross-sectional study conducted between November 1, 2023, and March 15, 2024, at Shekhan College of Health and Medical Technology, Duhok Polytechnic University.
Participants: The study targeted undergraduate students from three departments (MLT, Public Health, Nursing). First-year students were excluded. From an initial recruitment of 465, 415 students (178 males, 237 females) completed the survey, yielding an 89.25% response rate.
Data Collection: Data were gathered using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising four sections: socio-demographics, knowledge (10 questions), attitude (4 questions), and practice (4 questions).
Operational Definitions:
- Knowledge: Scores >60% were classified as "adequate."
- Attitude: Scores above the mean were classified as "favorable."
- Practice: Measured by the history of blood donation.
Statistical Analysis: Chi-square tests were employed to determine associations between independent variables (age, sex, department, academic year) and dependent variables (knowledge, attitude, practice).

Key Results

Demographics: The majority of respondents were under 25 years old (90.6%), female (57.1%), and from the MLT department (58.6%).
Knowledge Levels:
- Overall, 54.9% (228 students) demonstrated adequate knowledge.
- Departmental Disparity: MLT students showed significantly higher knowledge levels (79.01%) compared to non-MLT students (Public Health and Nursing) at 20.93% ( $P=0.000$ ).
- Age Correlation: Students aged ≥25 years had significantly better knowledge than those under 25 ( $P=0.000$ ).
- Specific Gaps: While 87.22% knew their blood group, only 33.01% knew the minimum weight requirement and 26.02% knew the maximum annual donation frequency for males.
Attitude Levels:
- Only 37.1% (154 students) held a favorable attitude toward blood donation.
- While 66.27% believed donation is "good," there was a near-even split (49.64%) on whether incentives should be provided.
- Willingness: 58.1% (241 students) expressed willingness to donate in the future.
- Barriers to Attitude: Significant differences were found regarding the belief that donation could harm the donor ( $P=0.000$ ), with MLT students more likely to recognize potential risks compared to non-MLT peers.
Practice Levels:
- Low Participation: Only 7.95% (33 students) had ever donated blood. Of these, 78.26% were repeat donors.
- Primary Motivator: Among donors, the primary reason was altruism ("to help people," 75.75%).
- Primary Barriers: For the 92% who had never donated, the most cited reasons were: never being asked (35.6%), fear of infection (23.56%), and not being approached by blood banks (20.68%).
- Demographic Correlations: Donation practice was significantly higher among males ( $P=0.000$ ), MLT students ( $P=0.000$ ), and those aged ≥25 ( $P=0.000$ ). No significant difference was found based on academic year ( $P=0.182$ ).

Key Contributions and Claims
The study identifies a substantial disconnect between knowledge and practice among health science students. Despite over half of the students possessing adequate knowledge, the actual donation rate remains critically low at 7.95%. The research highlights that:

Curriculum Impact: The MLT curriculum appears to significantly enhance knowledge compared to Public Health and Nursing curricula, suggesting a disparity in how blood donation is integrated into different health science tracks.
Untapped Potential: There exists a large pool of willing students (58.1%) who are not currently donating, representing a significant untapped resource for the blood supply.
Barriers: The primary barrier is not necessarily a lack of willingness, but a lack of solicitation ("have not been asked") and persistent fears regarding safety and infection.

Significance and Recommendations
The paper concludes that while knowledge levels are moderate, the translation of this knowledge into practice is severely limited. The authors claim that the current gap necessitates specific interventions:

Curriculum Revision: Undergraduate medical syllabi must be revised to place greater emphasis on voluntary blood donation across all health departments, not just MLT.
Continuous Education: Regular Continuous Medical Education (CME) programs should be established to close knowledge gaps and address specific fears (e.g., infection risks) to boost motivation.
Campaigns: Active blood donation campaigns are required to shift the culture from reactive donation (when asked/needed) to proactive voluntary donation.

The study positions itself as a foundational assessment for the region, providing the first localized data on KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, Practice) among these specific student groups to guide future policy and educational strategies.