Knowledge and Willingness Towards Corneal Donation: Medical verses Social Science Students in Wolkite University, South-West Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background Corneal blindness is the cause of 4.9 bilateral blind persons globally and accounts for 19.3% of blind patients in Ethiopia. As a result, corneal transplant demand is anticipated to be significant. Despite the significance of corneal donation, there is a scarcity of corneal tissue. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and willingness to donate corneas among both medical and social science students, as there is a lack of data on how their differing characteristics may influence awareness and willingness. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on medical and social science students at Wolkite University, southwest Ethiopia. Using stratified random sampling, data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, were employed to compare the differences between medical and social science students in terms of their willingness and knowledge of corneal donation. Results The study had 200 medical and 210 social science students with response rates of 96% and 73% respectively. Most participants (72.7%) were aged 21–25, and 69.0% were male. The findings show similar cornea donation willingness between medical (47.5%) and social science students (52.9%).The medical student group showed varied knowledge levels: 22.0% good, 26.5% moderate, and 21.5% poor. Among social science students, 32.4% had moderate knowledge, and 67.6% had poor knowledge. Knowledge improves as students progress (p = 0.034). Conclusions The study found a similar level of willingness to donate corneal among both medical and social science students. However, there are notable differences in knowledge levels between the two groups. Medical students demonstrated varying levels of knowledge, with a significant proportion having poor knowledge. Social science students also had a high percentage of poor knowledge about corneal donation. The results emphasize the necessity for targeted awareness campaigns among university students to increase corneal donation willingness.