An Inquiry into Blood Donor Ship of Undergraduate Nursing Students in a Christian-Based Tertiary Institution in Jamaica

Abstract

Introduction: All countries should have blood supply systems that are safe, affordable, and sufficient in an effective health system. One pint of blood could be the difference between life and death (American Red Cross, 2021). Blood is needed for all the body's vital organs to function effectively, highlighting the importance of blood in all living organisms. Therefore, this research seeks to find (1) the degree of blood donation among undergraduate nursing students in a Christian-based tertiary institution in Jamaica? (2) the attitude towards blood donation among undergraduate nursing students in a Christian-based tertiary institution in Jamaica? (3) the knowledge level of undergraduate nursing students in a Christian-based tertiary institution towards blood donation?

Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study designed to collect data from undergraduate nursing students in a Christian-based-tertiary institution in Jamaica. Researchers used non-probability sampling to obtain the data from 431 sampled respondents using a standardized survey created in Google Forms, followed by data transfer into IBM SPSS for Windows 10 Version 25.

Results: The findings revealed that 32.9% (n=142) of the sampled respondents are blood donors, and 67.1% (n=289) do not donate blood. Findings also showed that 63.3% (n=274) knew how blood donation occurs, compared to the 36.4% (n=157) who were not aware. In addition, 87.7% (n=378) had a positive attitude towards blood donation, and 69.6% (n=300) encouraged others to donate blood.

Conclusion: Blood donation is low among undergraduate nursing students in a Christian-based tertiary institution in Jamaica.