Factors Affecting Attitudes Toward Organ Donation in Health Care Professionals

Abstract

BackgroundHealth care professionals can affect attitudes toward organ donation in society. The aim of this study was to examine health care professionals’ attitudes toward and the affecting factors of organ donation. Materials and methodsThis descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between June and September in 2018. The sample consisted of 220 health professionals (nurses and physicians) who worked in the University Hospital and Family Health Centers located in Northern Turkey. The data were collected by using a sociodemographic form, an organ donation questionnaire, and the Organ Donation Attitudes Scale. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and ratios), independent t test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and correlation analyses were used. ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 36.05 ± 7.52 years (range, 20–52 years). The mean score of the participants was 100.98 ± 13.18 for the positive dimension and 46.81 ± 17.61 for the negative dimension of the scale. It was found that nurses and health care professionals working in university hospitals and intensive care units have higher negative organ donation attitudes (P < .01). It was found that negative attitudes toward organ donation decreased as age increased (r = 0.146; P = .016). Overall, 17.7% of the participants had a donor card. ConclusionBecause the negative attitudes of nurses are higher in this study, the results reflect the need for intervention studies to determine the sensitivity to organ donation. It is striking that health care professionals who work in intensive care units have high negative attitudes toward organ donation. It can be recommended that interventional studies be performed with intensive care health care professionals.