Attitudes of healthcare professionals working in different fields towards organ transplantation in the hospital sample and the factors affecting these attitudes.

Abstract

Aim: Turkish society has profound distrust and hesitation against the concept of brain death and related cadaveric organ donation. In this study, the attitudes of health workers about organ transplantation from cadavers were investigated. The effects of race, religiosity and political conservatism parameters on the attitudes of the research group were also explored. Methods: A total of 491 participants between the ages of 18-70 who are hospital employees in different fields were included in this study. An Organ Donation Attitude Scale (ODAS) was applied to the participants, which evaluates organ donation from cadavers explicitly, and the relationships between the emerging trend and the demographic characteristics of the participants, their education, the task they are responsible in the hospital, ethnicity and sectarian origins, religiosity and political conservatism characteristics were evaluated. Results: ODAS scores of our sample group did not show a significant relationship in age, gender, ethnic origin and sect. There was a negative relationship between cadaveric organ transplantation and religiousness and a positive relationship with liberal political views. On the other hand, there was a significant difference in the attitude toward organ transplantation regarding education levels, position in the hospital, and the geographical region where the person came from. Conclusion: Our country's attitude towards organ transplantation from cadavers is complex in a way that cannot be explained only by education. A conceptual study of cultural, religious and other social aspects is necessary to explain the perspective towards organ transplantation in Turkey.