Smyrna Tıp Dergisi – 16 – Smyrna Tıp Dergisi Araştırma Makalesi Knowledge , attitude and behaviors of university students on organ transplantation , in Turkey
Objective: In this study, knowledge, attitude and behaviors of university students on organ donation were investigated. Material and Method: A stratified random sample of 955 students were asked for six sociodemographic, seven personal information, nine behavior and twenty attitude questions using a Likert-type scale survey form. Results: Totally 955 students participated the study and 85.6% reported that the most significant barrier against organ transplantation was inadequate organ donation. While 363 students (38.0%) didn’t decide to donate any organs although they had positive views on organ donation, 209 students reported that they would donate all of their organs and the organ chosen as likely to be donated the most was kidney. When the reasons for negative views on organ donation were examined, the primary reasons were found to be “presence of religious barriers” and “discouragement". Also, 719 (75.3%) students had no knowledge about where the organs were donated. Conclusion: University students have insufficient information about organ donation. Informing them about the details of the organ donation will have an effect on increasing the donation rates.
Public education and organ donation: untested assumptions and unexpected consequences.
While the number of individuals able to benefit from transplantation increases with technological developments, donation rates remain insufficient to cater for demand. A universal response to the insufficient number of donor organs has been public education to increase knowledge about donation and transplantation, and to encourage individuals to register their wishes about donation. Although education appears to have increased knowledge and encouraged individuals to register their wishes, it has not increased the number of organs available for transplantation. In fact, there is some evidence that encouraging people to register their wishes may be detrimental to increasing net donation rates. The failure of education programs to increase organ donation rates may be due in part to a failure to recognise that attitudes to donation are influenced by complex socio-cultural and personal beliefs, and not simply by knowledge. Research aiming to increase the rate at which organs are procured for donation must recognise that some individuals do not support transplantation and have their own personal reasons for maintaining this position. Educational interventions should not assume that increasing knowledge or simply encouraging individuals to declare a decision about donation will increase consent to donation.
Are Organ Donation Attitudes and Beliefs, Empathy, and Life Orientation Related to Donor Registration Status?
Context The severe organ donor shortage necessitates additional research on variables that may distinguish those who register to be organ donors and those who do not. Such research has important implications for the development of educational interventions. Objective To examine whether registered organ donors differ significantly from nondonors on measures of organ donation beliefs and attitudes, empathy, and life orientation. Design and Setting Prospective participants were approached about the study while visiting a local branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles. Once consent was obtained, participants completed several questionnaires. Participants Two hundred fifty community dwellers who visited the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Alachua County, Fla. Main Outcome Measures Organ donor registration status, beliefs about organ donation, attitudes toward organ donation, empathy, and life orientation (ie, optimism). Results Registered organ donors reported more positive beliefs toward organ donation than did nonregistered participants or participants who were undecided about their registration status. Registered organ donors also reported more positive organ donation attitudes and more optimism than did nonregistered participants.