A Multicentre Study of the Attitude of Medical Students towards Organ Donation and Transplantation in Poland

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 20;20(4):3711. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043711.

Abstract

(1) The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of sociodemographic (age, sex, religion, place of residence) and university-related factors (university, year of studies) on the attitudes of students towards organ donation and transplantation. (2) Methods: The study was conducted on 1530 students from the Faculty of Medicine from three medical universities in Poland. The measurement tool was a validated questionnaire of attitude towards organ donation and transplantation (PCID-DTO RIOS: A questionnaire designed by the International Collaborative Organ Donation project about organ transplantation and donation). (3) Results: The completion rate was 88.10% (n = 1348). The vast majority declared a willingness to donate their organs in the future (86.60%), and 31.71% had an organ donation card. It was found that place of residence (p = 0.018) and religion (p = 0.003) had a significant effect on the attitude towards transplantation. Age, sex, and year of the study were not found to have a statistically significant effect on the decision. (4) Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that medical students show a favourable attitude towards transplantation in the first year of their study, and their knowledge and positive tendencies increase in the final years of medical education.

Keywords: attitude towards organ donation; students; transplantation.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Attitude
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Organ Transplantation*
  • Poland
  • Students, Medical*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tissue and Organ Procurement*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin (WNoZ-302-03/S/16/2022).