Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Organ Donation in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Organ donation is the transplantation of tissues or organs from one person to another, and it is considered a method to save lives when a patient has end-stage organ failure. Community willingness to engage in organ donation programs is imperative in promoting successful organ transplantation.

This research employed a cross-sectional study design involving 420 adult participants from the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was used to collect data and later analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).

The results reveal that only six (1.4%) participants had donated an organ before. One hundred sixty-eight (40.0%) participants believed that a person could donate their organ during their lifetime, with 225 (53.6%) aware that kidneys could be donated. A total of 198 (47.1%) participants supported the practice of organ donation. Religious motivation was the primary reason for the majority of participants willing to donate their organs (128, 64.7%). Conversely, among those unwilling to donate, 86 individuals (38.7%) cited a lack of knowledge about the practice as their reason. Two hundred sixty-six (63.3%) respondents expressed willingness to donate organs if laws and religion encouraged the practice. One hundred fifteen (27.4%) had a low knowledge level, 203 (48.3%) had a moderate knowledge level, and 102 (24.3%) had a high knowledge level. Age, education level, and occupation showed a statistically significant relationship with the knowledge score on organ donation (p < 0.05).

The study revealed that the general population exhibited a moderate understanding of and favorable attitude toward organ donation. Age, education level, and occupation significantly influenced knowledge scores related to organ donation. Additionally, religious beliefs emerged as the primary driver for organ donation. There is a need to raise public knowledge about the importance of organ donation in saving lives, improving quality of life, and establishing sustainable and ethical organ transplantation systems in Saudi Arabia.