Perception of Healthcare Workers about Barriers Impacting Organ Donation in Qatar: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

Objectives: To understand perception of healthcare workers about factors acting as barriers to organ donation and transplantation process in Qatar.Subjects and Methods: A phenomenological approach with the help of focus group discussions was used to fulfill the objectives of the research. Participants were healthcare workers working as volunteers in organ donation campaigns or playing a crucial role in the process of organ donation or transplantation in Qatar. They were selected purposively to participate in the discussions. Open-ended questions were asked during the audio-recorded discussions. Transcripts were coded and assessed using NVivo software. Results were analyzed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to explore intentions shaping an individual’s donation decision.Results: Lack of awareness and information about the process of organ donation were found to be the root cause barriers for both deceased and living organ donation in Qatar whereas; family, religious and community influences, and an incongruous attitude towards organ donation are the main factors influencing organ donation registration and family consent for deceased donation.Conclusion: Improving awareness and accurate information about organ donation could play significant in increasing deceased and living organ donation in Qatar. However, factors impacting family consent, which was found to be the most prominent reason for gap between availability and utilization of organs, need to be further researched.