Enhancing eye donation rates. Training students to be motivators

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Eye donation is crucial for restoring sight, yet donation rates can be improved through timely interventions.
• Understanding the knowledge and attitudes of future medical professionals is vital for promoting organ donation.
• Grief counseling at the time of death presents an opportunity to discuss eye donation with relatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge and attitudes of final-year medical students towards eye donation.
• To compare medical students' understanding with that of non-medical students (controls) before formal eye banking instruction.
• To identify misconceptions and knowledge gaps that may hinder eye donation promotion by future physicians.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 49 final-year medical students and 24 non-medical students.
• Statistical analysis, including the chi-square test, was used to compare responses between the two groups.
• The study assessed awareness of donation timelines, consent, pledging procedures, and contraindications.

Main Results:

• Over one-third of both groups were unaware that eyes must be removed within six hours of death.
• Significant proportions of both medical students and controls expressed misconceptions about relative consent and hesitated to donate their own eyes.
• Medical students demonstrated better knowledge of corneal storage and contraindications compared to controls, though gaps remained.

Conclusions:

• Both medical students and the general public (controls) exhibit significant misconceptions and hesitation regarding eye donation.
• Inadequate information dissemination by media contributes to poor knowledge among the general population.
• Undergraduate medical education should emphasize eye donation to dispel myths and encourage future doctors to actively promote it.