Students’ Knowledge and Attitude Toward Organ Donation and Transplantation at Selected Faculties of Minia University

Abstract

The giving of biological tissue or an organ from a living or deceased individual to a living recipient in need of transplantation is known as organ donation. The decision to donate organs and tissues is influenced by one's understanding of the process. The aim To assess Students’ Knowledge and Attitude Toward Organ Donation and Transplantation at Minia University. Research Design: Descriptive research design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at four faculties, which were divided into two medical faculties (Pharmacy and Nursing) and two non-medical faculties (Foreign Language and Tourism and Hotel Faculties) at Minia University. Tools:  Three tools were included: I: Socio- demographic Questionnaire; II: Organ-Tissue Donation and Transplantation Knowledge Scale and III: Organ Donation Attitude Scale.  Results: More than one quarter (28%) of the studied students have good knowledge, while 40% of the studied students had fair knowledge. Additionally, 32% of the studied students had poor knowledge in all its items. More than half (66%) of the studied students had positive attitude and 34% of them had negative attitude toward organ donation and transplantation. There were statistically significant differences P value < 0.05 between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge level regarding age, faculty, university year and the information source. Also, there were significant differences between socio-demographic characteristics and attitude level regarding age, faculty, university year, residence, and source of information. Conclusion: More than two thirds of students had good and fair knowledge revealing positive correlation between level of knowledge and attitude at Minia University students toward organ donation and transplantation. Recommendations: Scientific seminars should be provided for students to raise their awareness about organ transplantation and donation and provide posters, booklets, and leaflets in the university library.