A STUDY TO ACCESS THE KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS REGARDING ORGAN DONATION

Abstract

Organ transplantations save lives of patients with terminal organ failure and improve quality of life. However there is a huge gap between demand and supply of human organs. The only way to increase organ donations is to educate the health care professionals & public about the importance of organ donation and encourage them to become organ donor. As healthcare professionals are the most suitable person to carry the message to community, their knowledge and attitude towards organ donations should be studied. Aim: This study is determined to access the knowledge of medical students regarding organ donation. Methods: A Cross sectional study was conducted in a medical college of Ahmedabad. 100 medical students were included and they were given questionnaires designed to capture the knowledge and attitude toward organ donation. Responses were collected and analysed by Microsoft Excel and SSPS version 20. Results: 100% students were aware about the term organ donation. 90% students knew organization that work for organ donation awareness in city. 85% students were aware of the transplantation of human organ act 1994. 70% knew any hospital in city where organ transplantation is performed. Conclusion: The result of study revealed that there exists a knowledge gap among the medical students regarding organ donation & there is an urgent need for addressing this knowledge which will help in improving the organ donation rate in our country.