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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 6
| Issue : 2 | Page : 182-183 |
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Decision and non-decision making among blood donors and non-blood donors towards voluntary blood donation
Umakanth Siromani1, Thankamony Thasian2, Rita Isaac2, Kurusilappattu Gurupachai Selvaraj3, Dolly Daniel1, Joy John Mammen1, Sukesh Chandra Nair1
1 Department of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
3 Department of Bio-statistics, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Web Publication | 13-Jul-2015 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Umakanth Siromani
John Scudder Memorial Blood Bank, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Immunohaematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0975-9727.160715
How to cite this article:
Siromani U, Thasian T, Isaac R, Selvaraj KG, Daniel D, Mammen JJ, Nair SC. Decision and non-decision making among blood donors and non-blood donors towards voluntary blood donation. Muller J Med Sci Res 2015;6:182-3 |
How to cite this URL:
Siromani U, Thasian T, Isaac R, Selvaraj KG, Daniel D, Mammen JJ, Nair SC. Decision and non-decision making among blood donors and non-blood donors towards voluntary blood donation. Muller J Med Sci Res [serial online] 2015 [cited 2023 Mar 23];6:182-3. Available from: https://www.mjmsr.net/text.asp?2015/6/2/182/160715 |
Dear Editor,
Blood donation is a divine act that serves to humanitarian cause. Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health, but many patients requiring transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood. [1] Every component of blood can be used and it plays an important role in saving the lives of different individuals in the community. Blood banks aim to urge everyone to respond to the needs of patients so that they can increase the stock and able to meet the demand of patients across the country, but not everyone donates. To meet the entire blood need of a country we have to establish a transfusion service which totally depends on voluntary blood donors since it is considered to be the safest source. [2]
A focus group is an organized discussion - though structured in a flexible way - of between 6 and 12 participants. These discussions are ideal to collect the information on what is known and not known; beliefs and practice among blood donors and non-blood donors with respect to voluntary blood donation. Focus group discussions (FGD's) were conducted as a pilot study, among Voluntary Blood Donors and non-blood donors to study the deciding and non-deciding factors towards blood donation in Vellore district, Tamilnadu, India. Nine donors and non-blood donors participated in each group. The blood donors were selected from the available donor list from the blood banks and donors' club in the district. The non-donors were selected in the community those who never agree to donate blood. The educational qualifications of each subject in either group are from higher secondary to bachelor degree level. The discussions were conducted in a separate place with a closed room and the whole sessions were recorded, with permission. The discussions were conducted in Tamil - local language and later the verbatim translations were done into English.
This discussion ended up with many ideas, suggestions, motivational and commitments techniques regarding voluntary blood donation. Blood donors are donating blood because they want to help others. A donor suggested that blood banks should aim to improve their techniques, so that bleeding a donor in a blood bank becomes just as fast as it would be if they went to a blood donation camp. The majority of the donors said, they are donating blood to save an ill person. [3] A donor who works in an IT company, preferred to donate in a blood donation camp rather than at blood bank because of time factors. The groups thought IEC materials, posters and other information should be available in blood banks and at blood donation camp venues; this would help the first-time donors to overcome fear and anxiety.
From the FGD with non-blood donors, reasons for not donating came to light. There were common myths and misconceptions, fears and superstitions, such as giving blood causes weakness in the human body, medical problems, fear of needles, general apprehension, and fear of after-effects. [4] They thought that celebrities and political personalities could be the role models for future voluntary blood donation campaigns to mitigate and overcome the myths and misconceptions. To conclude the blood need of our country can be met by establishing a transfusion services with committed voluntary blood donors in near future.
| References | |  |
| 1. | |
| 2. | Siromani U, Rajaiah M, Daniel D, Mammen JJ, Nair SC. Ahead to 100% of voluntary non-remunerated blood donation at a tertiary referral hospital blood bank in South India. Asian J Transfus Sci 2012;6:190.  [ PUBMED]  |
| 3. | Gillespie TW, Newman JL, Bellamy M, Hillyer KL, Strong M. National study of blood donation-decision making: Current and lapsed donors. Transfusion 2002;42:122s-3. |
| 4. | Fernández-Montoya A, López-Berrio A, Luna del Castillo JD. How some attitudes, beliefs and motivations of Spanish blood donors evolve over time. Vox Sang 1998;74:140-7. |
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