Assessing Medical Students' Perspectives on Organ Donation: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Organ donation is a community service that not only saves lives but also improves the quality of life. The major concerns causing organ shortage in the country are the lack of awareness and correct knowledge among the public and myths and misconceptions clouding organ donation because of religious and cultural barriers. Material and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 medical students of a private medical college in the Telangana region, India, from July 2019 to October 2019 after approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC). A total of 300 participants (218 females (72.66%) and 82 males (27.33%)) were included in the study. Respondents completed a three-section questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, 15 questions on knowledge, and 12 questions on the attitude and ethical aspects of organ donation. Statistical tests utilized for investigation were the Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA to compare knowledge and attitude scores. Results The mean knowledge score among the participants was 10.85±1.79, with a P value of 0.45. The mean attitude score concerning organ donation among the participants was 45.5±4.47, with a P value of 0.44. The majority (87.1%) showed a positive attitude in this study. Conclusions The study emphasizes the necessity of interdisciplinary educational interventions for medical students to help them realize the complexities of the problem holistically. Their attitude regarding organ donation is not significantly affected by traditional educational interventions such as lectures and demonstrations. Educated healthcare professionals will play a critical role in motivating the public for the cause of organ donation promotion.