DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i03.072

Pages: 994-996

Awareness about blood donation especially among medical students is need of the hour, as blood is priceless and useful in many therapeutic and preventive aspects of medical treatment. Increase in the awareness level about blood donation will lead to its acceptance by the society which will be beneficial to all. The present study was undertaken to determine the awareness level about blood donation among medical students in RIMS, Imphal. A survey was conducted among 69 first year MBBS students admitted in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal in the month of September, 2015 with the help of a preformed and pretested questionnaire which contained 25 questions. The study showed that most of them (92%) out of 69 students had never donated blood so far. Majority (76%) of them received the information about blood donation from social media like internet etc., while only (14%) got from books. Majority (97%) of them were aware about screening of blood and spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis–B through blood donation. But a large proportion (40%) of them did not know about spread of malaria through it. Most of them (79%) did not know about professional blood donors and its ban in India. Majority (57%) of them were aware of World Blood Donor’s Day. 42% of them knew that donated blood can be used for 3 months. Most of them (65%) suggested that there is need for conduct of awareness programmes, so that the misconceptions about blood donation are removed. The above study shows that the awareness level about blood donation among the students are quite high, Inspite of lower rate of its acceptance. So, the students can be motivated and encouraged to donate blood through conduct of proper awareness programmes in the school and college levels.