Knowledge Among University Students in Rio de Janeiro Regarding Transplant Organ Donation

Does Death Anxiety Affect the Attitude Towards Organ Donation?

BACKGROUND

It is important to determine the attitudes of nurse candidates towards organ transplantation and their death anxiety levels to help patient families make an informed decision about organ donation.

AIM

The aim of this study is to examine nurse candidates' public knowledge and attitude towards organ donation.

METHODS

The research was conducted with nursing students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, between December 2021 and February 2022. Data were collected using a personal information form, Fear of Death Scale (FODS), and Organ Donation Attitude Scale (ODAS).

RESULTS

Our study determined that the percentage of students who wanted to donate organs and the death anxiety average of students were moderate. It was determined that students' positive attitudes towards organ donation were high and negative attitudes were low, and there was a negative relationship between them (p<0.001). In this study, in the comparison of death anxiety by gender, the mean scores of women's death anxiety, thinking about death and witnessing death, suffering, and uncertainty of death were found to be higher than men's, and the difference was significant (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

As a result, it is thought that improving the attitudes of future nurse candidates towards organ transplantation will significantly affect their organ transplantation decisions. Education is required for students with insufficient experience.

Brazilian Health Care Professionals` Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Organ Donation and Transplantation: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

This systematic literature review synthesizes evidence on Brazilian health care professionals' attitudes and knowledge regarding organ donation transplantation.

METHOD

This search included 5 databases-EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library. Search terms were conceptualized into 4 groups-organ transplantation/donation, health care professionals, attitude/knowledge, and Brazil. The eligibility criteria included academic articles that applied quantitative methods to examine the attitudes and/or knowledge of health care professionals toward organ donation-transplantation (ODT). After a critical appraisal of the citations initially retrieved, 13 studies were included in this review.

RESULTS

Although most studies pointed to an overall positive attitude of participants toward ODT, insufficient knowledge level among participants was also observed in most studies, especially knowledge gaps regarding aspects such as legal requirements and the functioning of the ODT processes in Brazil. In convergence with the broader ODT literature, education was highlighted as a central point in ODT processes.

CONCLUSION

The results reveal the scarcity of studies on the subject in Brazil and indicate an opportunity for educational efforts to improve the knowledge of health care professionals regarding the ODT process. This study enriches the academic literature and encourages new investigations on the issue, especially in the North and Northeast of Brazil.

Can financial rewards complement altruism to raise deceased organ donation rates?

BACKGROUND

Organ supply-demand in developing countries worldwide has continued to widen. Hence, using a large survey (n ¼ 10,412), this study seeks to investigate whether human psychology could be used to inculcate philanthropy to raise deceased organ donation rates.

METHODS

Three models were constructed to examine multidimensional relationships among the variables. Structural equation modeling was applied to estimate the direct and indirect influence of altruism, financial incentives, donation perception, and socioeconomic status simultaneously on willingness to donate deceased organs.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The study was approved by the University of Malaya ethics committee.

RESULTS

The results show that altruism amplifies the impact of socioeconomic status and donation perception on willingness to donate. Also, the results show that financial incentives cannot complement altruism to raise organ donation rates. Hence, investing in education and public awareness enhances altruism in people, which then increases the propensity to donate.

CONCLUSION

Evidence suggests that governments should allocate resources to increase public awareness about organ donation. Awareness programs about the importance of philanthropic donations and the participation of medical consultants at hospitals in the processes form the foundation of such a presumptive approach.