ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Blood donation is the only way of acquiring blood in modern health care facilities that is used in saving lives of many people in both routine and emergency conditions such as road traffic accidents cases, gynecological conditions, complications of pregnancy and childbirth, medical hematological conditions, cancers, surgical emergency and among others [1]. The WHO recommends that for any nation to meet the minimum demands of blood collection should be at least from 1% of the population [2]. Tanzania currently faces serious blood shortages; the need is for 600,000 units of blood per annum, of which Tanzania supplies only 150,000 units of blood. Of these donations, only 20% are voluntary donated and more than 80% of them are from secondary schools (NBTS 2014 unpublished report) [18]. Medical students who are mostly safe and future doctors are supposed to be role models by being regular voluntary blood donors despite on playing a key role in teaching and spreading knowledge to their fellow colleagues and public on importance of voluntary blood donation. However, blood donation is rarest among them [8]. Attitudes, beliefs, and level of knowledge among medical students may affect the campaign of voluntary blood donation. To fill this information gap, the study will aim at determining awareness, level of knowledge, attitudes and barriers towards voluntary blood donation among medical university students by using the case of catholic university of health and allied science (CUHAS-BUGANDO) located in Mwanza region. Such information would be vital in planning for raising awareness and helping young people to donate blood in the country.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research is to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and barriers towards voluntary blood donation among medical students at CUHAS.

METHODOLOGY: This will be community based cross sectional study design. Data will be collected between august to October 2021 using a structured questionnaire.

RATIONALE: The information obtained will help to make medical students at CUHAS a ready large pool of voluntary blood donors as this will help to alleviate the acute blood shortages at BMC and hospitals they will be working.