Indian Journal of Community Medicine Vol, XXVI, Not, Jan-Mar, 2001 A STUDY ON AWARENESS AND PERCEPTIONS REGARDING BLOOD SAFETY AND BLOOD DONATION AMONG HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL OF CALCUTTA Kaninika Mitra, Pankaj Kumar Mandal, Saswati Nandy, Rabindranath Roy, Gautam Kumar Joardar, Raghunath Mishra Deptt. of Community Medicine, RG. Kar Medical College, Cateutta Abstract: Research question: How aware are health care providers about blond safety and blood donation and what are their perceptions about blood ‘donation? ‘Objectives; 1, To assess awareness about blood safety and blood donation among different categories of health care providers (HCP). 2, To ascertain their perceptions about blood donation ‘Study design: Cross-sectional Sesting: R.G, Kar Medical College, Calcua Participants: Total 208 health care providers including doctors, trainee doctors, nurses. group D and other staff including technicians etc. Result: Awareness about blood salety was least among group D but not satisfactory even among doctors and other HCPS, Trainee doctors ‘were well aware about serccning ists Guidelines for Blood donation were best snown by ‘other group” of stalls. Most were aware about ‘needle safety but not about banning of professional donors. Most had positive altitude about blood donation except ‘other group” of staf, Tess than 50% HCPs had ever donated blood and donor retention was variable, Commonest reason for non donation was ‘never approached by anybody’. Most were, however, willing vo donate in future Key Words: Safe blood, Blood donation, Health care provider, Awareness, Perception Introduction: rates in Delhi with 4.5% VDRL positive, 32% HBsAg Modern science is yet to tind an idcal substitute of Positive and 1.355% HIV positive, whereas Calcutta has blood and hence blood transfusion still remains a vital shown Tower rates with 0.145 VDRL positive, 1.2% component of patient management. Thus, availability and HBsAg positive and 0.04% HIV positive? safety of blood and blood prexlucts are two very important issues of concern voluntary blood donation, but also for generating awareness According to WHO, ‘Safe Blood’ is blood that does regarding blood set. ‘no harm to the person who receives it Unfortunately, 83% of global pepulation living in developing countries have access to only 40% of blood supplied, and this blood in 60% of cases is collected from paid or replacement blood donors rather than from ‘voluntary non-remunerated low risk donors. With the directive from Supreme Court of India, buying blood from blood sellers has been banned from Ist January 1998. Unfortunately, many pseudo-family donors yfaterial and Methods: siill exist and many people are not aware of this. In our country, collected blood is tested for HIV. HBsAg. VDRL. ‘The study was undertaken at R.G, Kar Medical and Malaria, HBCAg testis being introduced in different College and Hospital, Calcutta in May 2000. The study parts ofthe country. Studies among blood donors regarding population comprised of different categories of health care presence of infection in different cities have shown high providers viz. doctors, ainee doctors, nursing staff, group “Thus, there is an urgent need not only for encouraging. Health care providers of teaching hospitals are those who dircetly come in contact with blood donors, recipients and their families. Some of them as teact responsible for inculeating the right message to their students. It is, therefore, necessary to assess their own awareness, knowledge, feelings. beliefs and attitude towards blood safety and blood donation, aIndian Journal of Community Medicine Vol. XXVI, No.1, Jan Aa, 2001 “D’ staff and ‘other group’ of staff including technicians, were included in the study comprising of 30 doctors, 33 pharmacists, social welfare officers, storekeepers ec. trainee doctors, 25 nurses, 90 group ‘D' staff and 30 ‘other Office staff were excluded from the stud. groups' of staff. ‘A stratified random sampling technique was used and 10% sample from each of the above mentioned categories ‘A predesigned and pretested semistructured ‘was taken for the study. A total of 208 health care providers questionnaire was used to collect data Results: ‘Table I: Awareness of health care providers regarding blood safety. Correct awareness about Doctors Trainee doctors Nurses Other group of staff GroupD Toul 530 233 225 330 m=90 e208 ‘The term ‘safe blood” 2893.3) -27(81.8)-22(88) 24(80) 3741.1) 138(66.3) World Health Day 2000 slogan 2(6.7) 618.2). ——6(24) 163) oo) 15(7.2) All mandatory screening tests* 7(23.3)-23(689.7) 28) 13433) (0) 45(21.6) Figures in parentheses are percentages; *Tests for HBsAg, HIV, Malaria, VDL. Table I shows that most HCPs except group D staff ‘Though 69.7% of trainee doctors knew correctly hhad heard the term ‘Safe Blood’, but overall only 7.2% about all the mandatory tests for collected blood, only knew the WHO slogan for World Health day 2000 “Safe 23.34% of doctors and none of the group “D’ knew them Blood starts with me" correctly. comrectly, Table II: Knowledge of health care providers about guidelines for blood donation. Correct awareness about Doctors Trainee doctors Nurses Other group of siaff GroupD Total 1=30 n=33 ne25 130 =90 n=208 ‘Age limit of donors (18-60 years) (0) 26.1) 1a) 3410) 22.2) 83.8) Minimum weight of donors (45kg) 1033.3) 1236.4) «6(24) 1756.7) 44.4) 490233) Minimum gap between 2 7033) 1648.5) 624) 1756.7) 7018.8) 6330.3) donations (3 months) Needle safety 28(93.3) 281.8) 21(84) 2376.7) 48(53.3) 147(70.7) Professional donors 8(26.7) (21.2) 15(60) 1653.3) 2932.2) 75(36.1) Figures in parentheses are percentages. KAP cf health pereoanel on blood safety & blood donation 2 Miva KotaIndian Joumal of Community Medicine Vol XXVI, No.1, Jan-Mar, 2001 Table II reveals that among all the HPs, ‘other group’ of staff were knowledgeable about most guidelines ‘of blood donation. Majority of HCPs except group D staff were aware about needle safety. Nurses (60%) were most knowledgeable about banning of professional donors, Knowledge about age limit of blood donors was very poor. ‘Table III: Perceptions of health care providers regarding blood donation. Perception Doctors Trainee doctors Nurses Other group of staff GroupD Total 1-30 1=33 n=25 1530 n=90n=208 Blood donation is a noble act 30100) 30(90.9) 25(100)-28(93.3)72(80)_185(88.9) Has motivated others for donation 23(76.7).—25(75.7)__18(72) 2376.7) 464511) 135649) Blood donation is aharmiless practice 30(100) 31(939)25(100)-30{100) 7280) _188(90.4) Willing to donate in future* n=I8 n=21 18 n=60n=126 17(89.4) 5183.3) 17(809) (62.5) 38(63.3) 9273) Figures in parentheses are percentages; *Among those who have never donated blood. ‘able III shows that overalf about 89% of all HCP considered blood donation to be a noble act. Except group D staff, more than 70% of all other HCPs have motivated ‘others for blood donation. More than 90% HCPs considered blood donation tobe a harmless practice. Among the HCPs who have never donated blood, more than 80% doctors, trainee doctors and nurses and mere than 60% of ‘other group’ of staff and group “D’ were willing to donate in fature, Regarding frequency of blood donation by HCPs - among doctors 63.3% never donated blood, 13.3% donated blood once and 23.4% donated more than once. Among, trainee doctors, 4.5% never donated blood, 18.2% donated itonce and 27.3% more than once. Only 4% nurses donated blood more than once while 84% never donated blood and 12% donated once only. 26.7% ‘other group’ staff never donated blood, 30% once and 43.3% more than once. From among group D staff 66.7% never donated blood, 18.9% donated blood once and 14.4% more than once. Highest ‘number of blood donors were in the ‘other group’ of staff (73.3%) and the lowest number was from the nurses (16%). Regarding frequency of donation also, 43.3% of ‘other group’ staff donated blood more than once, whereas, only 4% of nurses donated more than once. ‘Table IV: Reasons for never donating blood as cited by health care providers. Reasons Doctors ‘Trainee doctors Nurses Other group of stall GroupD Total n=19) n=2l n=8 ns60—nel26 [Not approached by anybody 7(36.8)-—«10(55.5)6(28.6) 2025) 16267) 4132.5) No opportunity 4@1.1) 3116.7) 942.8) 2025) 1016.7) 2822.2) Mt health/Unfit 7036.8) 3116.7) 6(28.6) 4(50) 1626.7) 36(28.6) Unwilling 0) fo) (0) 0) 35) 3024) Fear 0) (0) (0) 01) 467) 43.2) No reasons/Others 16.3) 2d.) (0) (0) 1083) 1411) Figures in parentheses are percentages. KAP of health personnel on blood safety & blood donation 2 Miva K ata