Effects of Peer Education on Attitudes Toward Organ Donation in Nursing Students

Increasing positive attitudes towards organ donation and improving the competence of coping with death through organ transplant nursing course: A two-group quasi-experimental study

AIM

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of an organ transplant nursing course offered to nursing students on increasing positive attitudes towards organ donation and developing competence in coping with death.

BACKGROUND

Incorporating organ donation education into undergraduate nursing curricula and promoting of coping mechanisms for coping with death, has been emphasized as a critical foundation for the preparating of the next generation of nurses.

DESIGN

Two-groups pre- and post-intervention evaluation quasi-experimental design study.

METHODS

This study was conducted between February and July 2023 with a total of 237 nursing students studying at two different universities, 116 of whom took the organ transplant course and 121 of whom did not take the course. Sociodemographic Characteristics Form, Coping with Death Scale-Short Form and Organ Donation Attitudes Scale were used for data collection. Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-Square, t-test, Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference between the students who took organ transplant nursing courses and those who did not in terms of the mean scores of coping with death competence and positive and negative attitudes toward organ donation (p<0.05). It was found that taking an organ transplant nursing course affected nursing students' coping with death competence and their positive and negative attitudes toward organ donation (p <0.01).

CONCLUSION

Taking the organ transplant nursing course was associated with improved competence in coping with death a increased positive and decreased negative attitudes.

Relationship Between the Decision-Making Balance Regarding Organ Donation and Level of Empathy

OBJECTIVES

In Turkey, the rate of organ donations has not reached the desired level. Although the vital importance of organ transplantation is known, the low participation in organ donation is an issue that needs to be examined meticulously. Organ donation decisions can be affected by demographic factors, such as family, personality traits, and religion and by psychological factors, such as attitude, intention, and sacrifice. For this reason, it is important to find the reasons that prevent people from being a donor and to develop intervention methods for them. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the balance of decision-making regarding organ donation and the level of empathy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 638 adults (mean age of 25.32 ± 9.95 years; n = 468 female participants and n = 170 male participants) voluntarily participated in the study. We used the Organ Donation Decisional Balance Survey to measure basic information on participants' personal valuations on the importance of positive and negative aspects of donor decisions. We used the Empathy Quotient scale to determine the empathy level of participants. We determined the relationship between variables using Pearson correlation analysis.

RESULTS

Organ donation balance had positive correlations with measures of cognitive empathy subscale (r = 0.115; P < .01), emotional reactivity subscale (r = 0.117; P < .01), and social skills subscale (r = 0.084; P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a positive relationship between empathy and the individual decision-making balance on donation; therefore, empathy development and altruism may affect organ donation decisions.

Does religious attitude affect organ donation and transplantation?

INTRODUCTION

While the reasons for opposition to organ donation and transplantation include several factors such as socioeconomc status, education and culture, religious belief has been reported to be the most important factor.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the religious attitude on organ donation and transplantation.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The study universe of this descriptive and relational study comprised adults living in the city centre of Kahramanmaraş. To give 99% power and a significance level of α = 0.05, the sample was formed of 406 individuals who agreed to participate in the study between February and March 2021. The study data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Religious Attitudes Scale, and the Organ Donation Attitude Scale. In the data analysis, descriptive statistics were stated as mean and standard deviation values, number, and percentage. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between religious belief and attitude to organ donation and transplantation.

RESULTS

The study participants comprised 84% females, 76.82% were aged 18-28 years, 92.1% were university graduates and 71.7% were not working. Of the total participants, 86.0% stated that nobody close to them had undergone organ transplantation, 92.6% that nobody close to them was waiting for organ transplantation, 50.7% that they had received positive information from a religious perspective about organ donation, 82.0% that they had not sought information themselves about organ donation, 67.2% that they had received no education about organ transplantation, 46% that they found the education given sufficient, 66.7% that they knew about the organ and tissue donation system, and 49.0% that they thought official approval was not required for organ donation. As a result of the correlation and regression analyses, a statistically significant relationship was determined between religious attitude and the subdimension of fear of medical neglect in the the Organ Donation Attitude Scale (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrated a relationship between religious attitudes and the attitude to organ transplantation. In the light of this result it can be recommended that a multidisciplinary team is established, including nurses and religious clerics, for the public to have correct information for the evaluation of organ transplantation from a religious perspective and to eliminate the concerns of society on this subject.

COVID-19 Pandemic Stress-Induced Somatization in Transplant Waiting List Patients

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in widespread socioeconomic restrictions including quarantine, social distancing and self-isolation. This is the first study investigating the psychological impact of the pandemic on patients waiting for liver or kidney transplantation, a particularly vulnerable group. Methods: Twenty-seven patients on the transplantation waiting list and 43 healthy controls took part in an online survey including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2), the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT-C), the 12-item Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQS) and a questionnaire to determine cognitions and beliefs, attitude and fear related to COVID-19. Results: BSI-18 Somatization was increased in waiting list patients compared to controls. Correlation analyses indicated a relationship between Somatization and the fear of contracting the coronavirus in the patient group; however this association was weak. In patients and controls, other psychologicial symptoms (depression, anxiety) correlated highly with emotional distress due to social distancing. There were no differences between patients and controls in depression scores and sleep disturbances. Alcohol consumption and personality structure were not related to COVID-19 fears. Conclusion: In times of the first lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients on the transplantation waiting list have high somatization symptoms associated with COVID-19 fears. As vulnerable group, they need psychological counseling to improve mental well-being during times of crisis.