American Muslim Physician Attitudes Toward Organ Donation

Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Organ Donation Among Tunisian Adults: Results of a National Survey

OBJECTIVES

Attitudes and knowledge toward organ donation can influence a person's willingness to donate. The aim of this study was to assess attitudes and knowledge regarding organ donation among Tunisian adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a crosssectional survey at the national level from January 23 to February 15, 2017, among 1026 Tunisian adults. We used a standardized questionnaire to collect data by phone call. We performed statistical analyses with Stata software (version 11).

RESULTS

The study included 495 male and 531 female participants. Forty-one percent of participants were 18 to 30 years old. In total, 81.7% had heard about organ donation. Fewer than half of respondents (47.8%) were aware that organ donation is regulated. In total, 80.7% accepted to donate their organs after death, and 32.2% had mentioned their opinion to relatives or friends. Only 1% had added their donor status on their national identity cards.

CONCLUSIONS

Tunisian adults seem to have positive attitudes regarding organ donation. However, the proportion of respondents who included their donor status on their national identity cards was low. It is important to enhance information and education on organ donation in an effort to mitigate the shortage of organs.

Nurse knowledge and attitudes towards organ donation and deemed consent: the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act in Nova Scotia

PURPOSE

In April 2019, the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act (HOTDA) in Nova Scotia was modified to incorporate a deemed consent model. In this study, we sought to understand intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department (ED) nurses' knowledge of and confidence around organ donation and transplantation, experiences with organ donors and recipients, attitudes toward organ donation and deemed consent, and perceived opportunities and barriers to a deemed consent approach in view of the legislative change.

METHODS

We sent an electronic, self-administered survey to all ICU and ED nurses in Nova Scotia. The survey queried respondents on their knowledge of, experience with, and attitudes around organ donation and HOTDA, and opportunities and barriers to the implementation of HOTDA in clinical practice. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

One-hundred and ninety-four nurses responded to the survey. Nearly all (98%) supported organ donation, with 86% having signed an organ donor card to donate organs and/or tissues after death. A considerable majority (89%) also supported the new legislation. Nevertheless, a minority of respondents (13%) believed that deemed consent legislation would be considered a violation of the general principles of freedom and autonomy. The three most identified topics for ongoing training were coordination of the donation process (70%), clinical management of donors (70%), and family issues in decision-making (70%).

CONCLUSION

Intensive care unit and ED nurses had positive attitudes toward organ donation, including deemed consent model. The findings should inform educational initiatives in Nova Scotia and beyond to optimize organ donation processes and outcomes.

Knowledge and Attitude of Society Concerning Organ Donation in Turkey

This study aims to identify the knowledge and attitude of society in Turkey concerning organ donation, as well as to learn the recommendations proposed by members of society to promote organ donation. The study employs a mixed-methods research design (quantitative and qualitative). The study sample consisted of 1385 people between the ages of 18 and 90 who had sociodemographic and cultural characteristics, lived in various regions/districts within Istanbul province, had varying levels of education, worked/did not work in various institutions and organizations, and agreed to participate voluntarily in the study. The data were collected using an Information Form and a Semi-Structured Individual Opinion Form. Most of the participants had not donated organs but were willing to do so, and the majority of those who had donated or wished to donate their organs desired to do so in order to save a life, serve humanity, or help someone else. Among those who did not wish to donate their organs, their reasons included a desire to preserve the integrity of their bodies and a desire for nothing to be detached from their bodies. Moreover, those unwilling believed that it was not religiously permissible. The participants indicated that society needed to be educated, primarily through visual and print media, to promote organ donation. Organizing seminars, conferences, panels, as well educational activities related to organ donation can be recommended to raise awareness and improve attitudes toward organ donation.

Successful strategies to increase organ donation: the Gift of Life Donor Program Philadelphia model

Organ donation connects the ending of one life with the renewal of another. Acute care hospitals care for the organ donor and transplant organizations complete life-saving surgeries. Between them is a vital component: a less-known medical team dedicated to ensuring that organ donation and transplantation are possible. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) support grieving families during a painful time of loss, providing a rare and precious opportunity in donation. The OPO is simultaneously poised to ensure that organs successfully begin their journey to renewing life and restoring hope for recipients and their loved ones. Every OPO faces a myriad of challenges in meeting its responsibilities. A recognized leader in the field, Gift of Life Donor Program (GLDP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been committed to meeting these challenges for nearly fifty years. The successes of this OPO reflect the legacies of organ donors, recipients, and their cherished loved ones.

Consequences of More Coordinator Engagement to Take Consent for Organ Donation: Comparisons of New Versus Experienced Staff

OBJECTIVES

The method of obtaining family consent for organ donation after occurrence of brain death in Iran is an opt-in process. Because of complicated cultural, legal, religious, and familial structures in Iran, it is not simple to take consent for organ donation in brain death situations. The process needs the professional staff to be experienced and have an appropriate personality to obtain consent.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We previous used a limited number of experienced coordinators to take consent. We revised our decision 2 years ago because of lack of trained personnel. From the beginning of 2017, we have started training courses regarding approaching families for donations for all interested coordinators. After participants finished the theoretical and practical training, we allowed them to interview themselves to practice a first evaluation for a suitable potential donor. We have continued this strategy and have gathered feedback from participating coordinators.

RESULTS

At the beginning of 2017, 9 coordinators who were previously qualified for handling other steps of organ donation were put into a compact training program to train for family interviews. In 2016, the experienced interviewers had a 88% success rate compared with a success rate of 83% in 2017 for inexperienced interviewers (P = .1). No significant differences were shown. Despite younger ages of donors obtained in 2017, median donated organs per donor decreased from 2.81 to 2.66. The average time interval between first contact with families and establishment of family consent was not significantly different between experienced and inexperienced coordinators (9.2 vs 8.7 h).

CONCLUSIONS

Although with the new strategy we experiensed a decrease in the consent rate, we believe this strategy will have long-term beneficial effects for our organization and the decreased rate will be a temporary decline. Interviews showed that this strategy made our coordinators more motivated and responsible for their job. As a result, both volume and quality of organ procurement activities will be increased.