Organ transplantology – opinions and attitudes of medical and humanities students

Abstract

Background: Transplantology is one of the fastest-growing branches of medicine and is the treatment of choice for many patients with end-stage organ disease, giving them a chance to recover. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to examine the attitudes and opinions of medical and humanities students regarding organ transplant. Material and methods: Based on the assumed random selection criteria, 200 students of the University of Rzeszów (164 women and 36 men) qualified for the study. Dedicated proprietary research tools were used to assess their knowledge of the following: issues related to organ transplantation, registration as a donor, attitudes to organ donation after the respondent’s death, and objections to the intention to donate organs in the event of the death of a loved one who did not object during their lifetime. Results: A higher level of knowledge about transplantology was found among students of medical faculties (p<0.001). Humanities students were more skeptical about the intention to donate organs in the case of the death of a close relative who did not object during their lifetime (p<0.001). In total, 44% confirmed their consent to be an organ/tissue donor. Conclusions: The level of students’ knowledge of transplantology is insufficient. Familiarity with issues related to organ transplantation translates into the attitude towards organ donation; therefore, it is necessary to increase awareness and spread knowledge in this field in order to popularize it in society.