Awareness, Attitude, and Beliefs Regarding Organ Donation Among the General Public in Saudi Arabia

Abdullah Alghamdi; Abdulmalak Abdullah Alsaleh; Omar Abdulaziz Alfozan; Rayan Qutob; Abdullah Alaryni; Abdullah Bukhari; Osamah A Hakami; Bassam Abdulaziz Alhusaini; Saad Abdullah Alzmamy; Fadhah Saud Alhudayris; Lama Khalid Alshuaibi; Ahad Marei Alenazi; Lama Shaya Alhosaini; Najd Khalid Aljarba; Shahad Hameed AlShammari

doi:10.2147/IJGM.S434589

Awareness, Attitude, and Beliefs Regarding Organ Donation Among the General Public in Saudi Arabia

Int J Gen Med. 2023 Oct 31:16:4973-4989. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S434589. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Abdullah Alghamdi¹, Abdulmalak Abdullah Alsaleh², Omar Abdulaziz Alfozan², Rayan Qutob¹, Abdullah Alaryni¹, Abdullah Bukhari¹, Osamah A Hakami¹, Bassam Abdulaziz Alhusaini², Saad Abdullah Alzmamy², Fadhah Saud Alhudayris², Lama Khalid Alshuaibi², Ahad Marei Alenazi², Lama Shaya Alhosaini², Najd Khalid Aljarba², Shahad Hameed AlShammari²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Faculty of medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: Organ donation is a lifesaving option to rescue many patients with end-stage organ failure from possible morbidities and mortalities. Unfortunately, due to a shortage of donors, many patients suffering from their illnesses are waiting for an organ. This study aimed to determine the awareness, attitude, and beliefs toward organ donation among the Saudi population.

Patients and methods: This is an online cross-sectional survey that was conducted in Saudi Arabia between July and September 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the general public using an online platform. The questionnaire consists of two sections: the first is about demographic data, and the second is about questions to assess awareness, attitude, and beliefs regarding organ donation. The Chi-squared test was used to examine the differences in participants' awareness, attitude, and beliefs towards organ donation. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of a positive attitude towards organ donation.

Results: A total of 3507 individuals participated in this study. Around 68.1% were aged between 18 and 30 years. Twenty-four percent of them knew of the legislative body for organ donation; 58.5% believed that organ donation should be promoted; and 66.1% had a positive attitude toward donating body organs. Younger age (31-50 years), male gender, being unemployed or working in a government job, and being married were factors that decreased the likelihood of having a positive attitude towards organ donation.

Conclusion: Although there was a positive attitude and belief about organ donation, awareness was suboptimal. Younger age, male gender, being unemployed or working in a government job, and being married were factors that decreased the likelihood of having a positive attitude towards organ donation. It is necessary to address the gaps in knowledge, and social media as well as mass media may have an important role in bridging the gaps.

Keywords: attitude; belief; knowledge; organ donation; public.

Grants and funding

The research received no external funding.