Blood Donation among Healthcare Workers in Nigeria: Insights into Attitudes and Participation

A bstract Background: Nigeria continues to experience a critical shortage of safe blood, largely due to low rates of voluntary, nonremunerative blood donation. Healthcare workers represent a strategic donor population; however, evidence on their knowledge, perceptions, and actual participation in blood donation at a national level remains limited. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to blood donation among healthcare workers in Nigeria and to identify factors associated with prior blood donation. Materials and Methods: This was a multi-center, web-based cross-sectional study conducted among healthcare workers in Nigeria between August and December 2023. A structured questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge, attitude, and practice related to blood donation. Knowledge and attitude scores were converted to percentages and categorized as good (≥70%), fair (50%–69.9%), or poor (<50%). Descriptive statistics were computed, and associations between participant characteristics and blood donation practice were evaluated using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at a P value of <0.05. Results: A total of 611 healthcare workers participated in the study. Knowledge of blood donation was high, with 95.3% correctly identifying common blood groups and 98.8% knowing their own blood group. Clinical staff demonstrated significantly higher knowledge compared with non-clinical staff (adjusted odds ratio [AdjOR] = 2.1, P < 0.001). Despite adequate knowledge, only 41.8% of respondents had ever donated blood. Male sex was independently associated with prior blood donation (AdjOR = 2.8, P < 0.001). Commonly reported reasons for non-donation included not being approached to donate and a lack of perceived need for blood donation. Misconceptions remained prevalent, with over half of respondents (59.7%) believing blood donation could transmit infections. Conclusion: Although healthcare workers in Nigeria demonstrate high knowledge and generally positive perceptions of blood donation, actual donation practice remains suboptimal. Clinical role and male sex were associated with more favorable donation behavior. Addressing persistent misconceptions and structural barriers to donation may help improve voluntary blood donation rates among healthcare workers.