Opinions and Attitudes of Medical Students About Organ Donation and Transplantation

Background

Although transplantation has gained more support and acceptance, there are still many ethical, moral, and legal barriers associated with this form of treatment. The demand for organs is higher than what can be accommodated. Current medical students are forming their views about transplantation.

Methods

The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of 569 students from the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland, with regard to their beliefs about organ donation.

Results

Respondents included in this study were 21.77 ± 2.03 years of age (73.6% female, 80.1% living in an urban setting). Organ procurement and transplantation from living donors was found to be acceptable by 97.54% of respondents, and 98.77% found deceased donor procurement to be acceptable. More than 90% of respondents agreed with organ donation from family members after death, and agreed to donation after their own death. However, only 54.77% indicated an agreement to donate in their lifetime for nonrelatives. It was found that 70.74% believe the final decision on cadaveric organ donation should be made by the family. A positive attitude toward organ transplantation was expressed by 96.47% of respondents, but 2% submitted an objection to placement on a central registry. Refusals for organ donation included emotions associated with death (88%), religious beliefs (42%), and lack of knowledge of medical terminology (24.78%). According to respondents, the concept of transplantation should be managed by patients and donors (65.38%), universities (49.56%), or the media (44.64%).

Conclusion

Medical students generally agree on procurement of organs from deceased and living donors. However, their enthusiasm for organ donation after death diminished with regard to their family members. An educational campaign promoting organ transplantation should be considered.