The perspective of our future doctors towards organ donation: a national representative study from India

Timely donation of organs has helped many get a new life. But in India, the pace of Organ Donation and Transplant (ODT) has been disturbingly sluggish. There is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available in India. Doctors can play a pertinent role in decreasing this gap. Therefore, the present study was done to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception of the medical students in India regarding Organ Donation (OD).

A cross-sectional study was carried out among the undergraduate students (n=1463) in 10 different medical colleges across the country. Data were collected electronically through Google forms by using a pre-designed, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire.

About 65% of students had a positive attitude regarding ODT. Most of the students acknowledged that Internet sources (57.7%) and print media (46.5%) played a significant role in their awareness. 83% of the students felt that there is a need for effective laws to regulate the process of ODT. It was encouraging that most of the students (69.6%) were not biased for the type of recipients for the organ.

In the face of acute shortage of donated organs in India, the medical students can be the torchbearers of a positive change. Topics on ODT should be stressed in the initial years and during the early clinical exposure through rapid implementation of the revised Medical curriculum. They can motivate the general public and patients during their routine interactions to make this idea more accessible and acceptable.