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. 2021 Nov 19:12:1003-1010.
doi: 10.2147/JBM.S339521. eCollection 2021.

The Impact of WhatsApp on the Blood Donation Process in Saudi Arabia

Qarmoosha Rasheed Al-Hajri  1 , Asma Alfayez  1 , Demah Alsalman  1 , Fahad Alanezi  2 , Hala Alhodaib  3 , Saja A Al-Rayes  1 , Afnan Aljaffary  1 , Bashair AlThani  4 , Heba AlNujaidi  5 , Atheer K Al-Saif  5 , Razaz Attar  6 , Duaa Aljabri  1 , Sama'a Al-Mubarak  1 , Mona M Al-Juwair  1 , Sumaiah Alrawiai  1 , Turki M Alanzi  1
Affiliations

The Impact of WhatsApp on the Blood Donation Process in Saudi Arabia

Qarmoosha Rasheed Al-Hajri et al. J Blood Med. .

Abstract

Background: WhatsApp was the most popular messenger app used in Saudi Arabia with 71% of the total population using it in 2020. WhatsApp is increasingly being used as a tool for mobile health (m-health) interventions; however, concerning blood donation, there is a lack of research studies on the topic.

Objective: This study aims to measure the general awareness levels of the blood donation process and assess blood donation history, the motivators and inhibitors to donating blood, and to assess the impact of WhatsApp on the blood donation process in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: In this research study, a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional analysis was adopted. A questionnaire survey was designed using Google Forms and distributed online through social media applications to collect data. All citizens aged above 18 years of age were eligible to participate in the survey. There were a total of 150 participants in the study.

Results: More than 90% of participants were aware of their blood group, blood donation requirements, and causes to be deferred from the donation. Furthermore, 27% of participants donated blood because their relatives or friends needed blood, 26% donated due to human solidarity, 18% did not donate blood because of their health condition and 14% did not because of the fear of needles. About 33% of participants relied on WhatsApp to search for blood donors, and all the requests were fulfilled with blood donors. In addition, 94% of participants strongly believed that the WhatsApp application had a significant role in bridging the gap for blood banks' need for blood donors.

Conclusion: Social media applications such as WhatsApp can bridge the gap between blood banks, blood donors and the patients in need of blood in Saudi Arabia, where there is a shortage of blood donors.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; WhatsApp; blood donation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The variation of blood groups among the participants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The impact of WhatsApp in bridging the gap between blood banks and blood donors in the participants’ view.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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