Navigating Blood Donation Challenges in India Amid COVID-19: A Comprehensive KAP Analysis | Chapter 5 | Disease and Health Research: New Insights Vol. 3

 

Background: An awareness of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of blood donors towards the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to avoid a blood inventory crisis. It is therefore necessary to gain a perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on the attitude of blood donors and an understanding of the key aspects of their motivation. The study aimed to analyze the KAP of donors toward blood donation and to find their association with the demographic factors, aiding in mobilizing and retaining voluntary blood donors in a pandemic setting.

 

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted at The Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion at a tertiary care teaching hospital in India over four months spanning from December 2021 to March 2022 on repeat whole blood donors. A survey-method was used to collect data in the form of donor responses to questionnaires circulated via emails, instant messaging services (Whatsapp, Telegram etc.) and social media sites (Facebook, Twitter etc.). All the classification variables (age, sex, education, income and occupation) were expressed as frequency and percentage.

 

Results:  A total of 632 donors were included in the study and assessed for donor attitude and fear factors related to blood donation during COVID-19 pandemic. The mean age of the study population was 31 years. In terms of donor attitude, most common positive attitude was that they “would donate blood in the blood center where mask and sanitizer are available for all staff and blood donors”. Most common negative attitude was that “they had been in close contact with a patient who had a respiratory infection, so they should not donate blood”. Regarding practice of blood donation, 61.9% donors reported that they did not attend blood bank due to uncertainty about the sanitization of blood bank. The most common responses about knowledge were that they feared contracting COVID-19 during blood donation (41.5%) and they had fear of post-COVID-19 complications (37.5%).

 

Conclusions: To enhance precautionary behaviors among the public, health officials and policymakers must promote knowledge and efficacy beliefs about blood donation. Future interventions and policies should adopt a 'donor-centered' approach to close the gaps in KAP related to blood donation, ultimately motivating and retaining blood donors.

 

Author(s) Details

Pandeep Kaur

Department of IHBT, NIMS, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

 

Romesh Jain
Department of Transfusion Medicine, AIIMS, Bhopal, India.

 

Rakesh Kumar
Department of Transfusion Medicine, AIIMS, Patna, India.

 

 

Bala Bhaskar
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru, India.

 

Satish Kumar
Department of IHBT, NIMS, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

 

Shweta Ranjan
Department of Transfusion Medicine, AIIMS, Patna, India.

 

 Please see the book here: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/dhrni/v3/1524

Platelet Concentrates Bacterial Contamination. Seven Years Retrospective Study in Rabat Blood Center of Morocco | Chapter 14 | New Visions in Medicine and Medical Science Vol. 6

 Background: Bacterial contamination of blood products is still the largest residual source of transfusion transmitted diseases. The clinical consequences of transfusing bacterially contaminated blood range from minimal or no reaction to fatal septic shock and death.

Objective: Data from the 2005 to 2012 archives at the Laboratory of Bacteriology Serology and Hygiene of ibn Sina University Hospital Center in Rabat, Morocco was used to realize a retrospective study with the aim of determining the prevalence of bacterial contamination of platelet concentrates produced by the Regional Center for Blood Transfusion of Rabat after the implementation of the bacterial quality control of the platelet concentrates.

Methods: 3898 platelet concentrates, which were obtained after disinfection of the sampling site and diversion of the first milliliters of the blood donation, were cultured to study bacterial contamination between 2005 and 2012. All obtained bacterial colonies are tested by the Gram staining and orientation tests such as catalase, coagulase, and oxidase, as well as the biochemical gallery for identification. This retrospective study was conducted over a period of six months using data from the archives of the Laboratory of Bacteriology Serology and Hygiene of Ibn Sina University Hospital Center in Rabat, Morocco.

Results: 0.44% was the prevalence of bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates found in this retrospective study. It also showed the presence of the following bacteria species: coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species and Bacillus sp each at 29.41%, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptocoque, E. coli and Enterobacter each were found at 5.9%. Other bacilli’s grams negative were present at 17.65%.

Conclusion: Even though the prevalence of bacterial blood contamination found in this retrospective study was low, blood transfusion in Morocco has a long way to go before reaching the standards set and commonly accepted in developed countries.

Author(s) Details:

Fatna EL Mehdaoui
Research Laboratory, High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco and Laboratory of Biology and Health, Kenitra Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.

Raouf Alami
Research Laboratory, High Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques of Rabat, Rabat, Morocco.

Abdelmajid Soulaymani
Laboratory of Biology and Health, Kenitra Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.

Karim Souly
Laboratory of Bacteriology Serology and Hygiene, Ibn Sina University Hospital Center, Rabat, Morocco.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/NVMMS-V6/article/view/14358