What is organ donation and transplantation? Educating through the doubt

Organ transplantation in Brazil is increasing, but one of its current obstacles is the negative response of the population to organ donation. Therefore, to make the process viable, it is essential that people are educated in organ donation and transplantation. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the main doubts on this subject and to clarify these issues by educating the respondents on the basis of their questions.

Handout questionnaires about organ donation and transplantation were distributed in public schools. The public targets were parents, teachers, and students. The interviewers were trained medical students.

In this pilot study with 293 subjects, 97% of respondents had already heard about organ donation; 81% said they would donate their organs, whereas 76% said they would donate the organs of family members and 78% said they believe in the existence of organ trafficking in Brazil.

The high percentage of respondents believing in the existence of an organ trade highlights the urgency in clarifying this topic. To do so, the population must be educated about the ethics of the process of donation, emphasizing the fact that there is no organ trade in Brazil.