Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donation Awareness Among Voluntary Blood Donors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a life-saving treatment for many hematological disorders, but demand for unrelated donors continues to outpace donor-registry growth. Voluntary blood donors are a strategic population for donor recruitment, yet their HSCT knowledge and attitudes remain understudied. This study examined these and their relationship with sociodemographic characteristics, blood donation behaviors, and each other. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted with 300 voluntary blood donors aged 18–64 years attending a blood transfusion and apheresis center in Istanbul, Türkiye, between June and October 2025. Face-to-face interviews used a researcher-developed, content-validated Donor Information Form (scale-level content validity index = 0.96; Kuder–Richardson-20 = 0.828 for knowledge and 0.863 for attitude). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression. Results: Mean knowledge and attitude scores were low (31.85 ± 21.82 and 34.98 ± 26.63 out of 100, respectively). Healthcare professional status, prior HSCT awareness, and previous stem cell donation were each associated with significantly higher knowledge and attitude scores (all p < 0.001), with the largest effect observed for previous donation experience on attitude (d = 1.92). Knowledge and attitude were strongly correlated (r = 0.705, p < 0.001), and knowledge predicted attitude (R2 = 0.496, p < 0.001). Although 29.3% of participants had considered stem cell donation, only 1.7% had ever donated—a gap that also reflects the need to be matched with a recipient. Conclusions: Knowledge and attitudes regarding HSCT among voluntary blood donors were generally insufficient, with a marked gap between donation intention and actual behavior. Knowledge strongly predicted attitude. Nurse-led education at blood donation encounters, combined with simplified donor-registry enrollment, may help expand the pool of registered stem cell donors.