THE BONE MARROW HEROES: THE POTENTIAL OF THE MEDICINE STUDENT IN ACCESSION TO THE BONE MARROW BANK

Name of the activity: THE BONE MARROW HEROES: THE POTENTIAL OF THE MEDICINE STUDENT IN ACCESSION TO THE BONE MARROW BANK

Country/NMO: Brazil (IFMSA-Brazil)

Program: Health Systems

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign. Combination of education and advocacy. Campaigns create awareness in society about a certain topic (education aspect) and try to funnel this awareness into pressure on the decision makers to adapt policies accordingly (advocacy aspect).

General description:

Weeks before the activity took place, the local committee made interventions on the campus of the university provoking curiosity and awareness of the importance of registering new bone marrow donors. On the day of the activity, in partnership with the blood center, they organized in the hall of the medical science center of the university a point of capture of new donors. They organized the interview team, the collection team and the guidance. Medical students were approached in the classrooms, where the participants presented IFMSA Brazil, explained about the registration of new donors, demystified the donation process and the sensitized ones could sign up in the hall. The activity was aimed at medical students and from the 382 approched students, 166 were registered as marrow donors at the blood center. However, the campaign, in addition to sensitizing academics of other courses, had statewide reach, since it was reproduced in 3 different regional television stations.

Focus area:

Organ, stem-cell and tissue donation

Problem statement:

The National Registry of Bone Marrow Donors from Brazil currently has four million people signed up interested in donating. Faced with the difficulty of finding compatible donors, especially in view of the great miscegenation of the Brazilian people, it is observed that this number is not yet so expressive. A survey points out that the process for registering donors is unknown by most of the interviewees, despite the carried out campaigns, possibly because these do not come with clear language.

Target groups:

Medical students, Healthcare Students

Beneficiaries:

General population

Objectives and indicators of success:

– Encourage adherence to the bone marrow bank – increase the number of new registrations in the bone marrow bank

– Demystifying the process of donation and bone marrow transplantation – good interaction with students, taking their doubts

– Provide for the donation of bone marrow not to be withdrawn after joining the bank – if case of compatible donation,the student should be so clarified about the importance of the donation to the point of not giving up.

– Show the benefits they can bring to being bone marrow donors – new registrations in the bone marrow bank.

– Stimulating the dissemination of the importance of bone marrow donation by medical students to other people – adding more students to the cause

– Bring relevance to diseases that require bone marrow transplantation – students learn and share the knowledge gained in the campaign.

Introduce and introduce IFMSA Brazil in the Center of Medical Sciences through social action – new affiliates to the local committee / more medical students knowing the work of IFMSA Brazil.

Methodology:

Weeks before the activity took place, the local committee made interventions on the campus of the university provoking curiosity and awareness of the importance of registering new bone marrow donors. On the day of the activity, in partnership with the blood center, they organized in the hall of the medical science center of the university a point of capture of new donors. The students were approached in the classrooms. While one of the participants was talking, others helped him by distributing questionnaires and informational pamphlets, with key aspects of the donation. At the same time, another part of the team was on standby to guide people in the process of joining the bone marrow bank. Those who donated received a special card, whose intention was to motivate non-relinquishment on the day of the call for donation of bone marrow. At the end of the week the data were collected and stored, in order to measure the actual results, as well as to evaluate the impact of social action.

Plans for evaluation:

The activity was assessed by counting new registrations in the bone marrow donor bank by the students. In addition, prior to classroom meetings, participants applied a questionnaire to measure students’ prior knowledge of subjects that would be worked on during the presentation. For example, myths and truths about the process of donation, procedure of donation, curable diseases with bone marrow transplantation, among others.