A Qualitative Study of Attitudes, Motivation and Perception of Blood Donors towards Blood Donation in a Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND: There are various barriers to donating blood that influence the behavior of people towards blood donation such as cultural beliefs in some ethnic groups, socio-economic factors, their knowledge or lack of knowledge with regards to blood donation and other issues AIM & OBJECTIVE: To establish motivational and socio-demographic factors for the development of a long-term commitment as a blood donor. METHODOLOGY: Questionnaire-based study collected from 310 participants containing 22 items, including socio-demographic information, donors' evaluation of blood bank service and 23 statements on motivation. Data on motivation was analyzed using factor analysis. RESULTS: Representation of males (85.4%) for donation was much higher compared to females (14.6%).Unemployed individuals were found to be under-represented. The single, most important, recruitment channel was the influence of active blood donors. CONCLUSION: Most donors were recruited by other donors. Their continued involvement as blood donors was primarily linked to altruistic and empathic reasons.