Organ Donation: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness Among Patients, Their Families, and Society About Lung...

Organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment. The higher the awareness about organ donation in a society, the higher the number of lives saved through organ transplant. We evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and willingness concerning organ donation among patients who had received a lung transplant and their family members as well as the wider population.

Study participants were divided into the following 3 groups: 56 transplant patients, 69 family members of the included transplant patients, and 77 community members. An online questionnaire was sent to all of the participants to enquire about their knowledge of and attitudes toward organ donation and their willingness to engage in organ donation. Answers from the 3 groups were evaluated comparatively.

Study participants were generally knowled-geable about organ donation and wanted to donate, but they did not do so for various reasons. The most common ones were distrust of the health care system, lack of knowledge of donation procedures, and the possibility that the recipient was not a "good" person (that is, not someone who is useful to society and humanity). The study observed that, as the participants' level of education increased, the number of people who were willing to donate decreased.

With the increased number of people with chronic diseases and needing organ transplant, thousands of patients on organ transplant wait lists die every year. Individuals should be accurately informed about organ donation, and they should be encouraged to donate.