Blood donation and transfusion: Perception of pregnant women at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

Background: At the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, there is a policy of compulsory blood donation by relatives of pregnant women registered for care. This study assesses the perception of these women about blood donation and transfusion and compliance with the policy.Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional study was among women registered for antenatal care at UCH. By nonprobability purposive sampling, 300 pregnant women >18 years were recruited from July 1, 2017, to September 30, 2017. Women presenting for emergency care and Jehovah’s Witnesses were excluded from the study. Information was obtained using pretested questionnaires. Data are presented as means (standard deviation), simple frequency, and percentages.Results: Among the 300 participants, the mean age was 31.0 (±3.7) years, 194 (64.6%) were multiparous, 94.4% had postsecondary education, and 263 (87.7%) were Yoruba by ethnicity. Concerning perception about blood donation, 221 (73.7%) agreed that blood can be donated and stored for the future use, 279 (93.0%) thought that blood donation is good, 214 (71.3%) agreed that voluntary blood donation is best, and both men and women could donate (269, 89.7%). Concerning the effect of blood donation, 229 (74.6%) agreed/strongly agreed that donation could cause weakness. However, 195 (65.0%) and 194 (64.0%) disagreed/strongly disagreed with donation causing loss of sexual drive or death. Concerning transfusion, 273 (90.7%) and 253 (84.3%), respectively, agreed that women may need blood during pregnancy/delivery, and hemorrhage during labor/delivery may lead to death. Finally, 266 (88.7%) were aware of the hospital policy although only 133 (44.3%) had complied.Conclusion: The positive perception was unmatched with compliance suggesting unidentified factors for further research.Keywords: Blood donation; blood transfusion; perception; pregnanc