The gift of life: Knowledge and attitude toward organ donation among medical students in Malaysia

Abstract

Background: In Malaysia, there is a large gap between the number of organ donors and recipients. Aim and Objectives: This study was done to determine the knowledge and attitude toward organ donation among medical students in a private medical institution in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June, 2019, among 122 randomly selected participants from MBBS students of a private medical university, Malaysia. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Results:The mean age of the study participants was 23.23 years (standard deviation ± 0.58 years). The male-to-female ratio was almost equal (49.2: 50.8%). All the participants (100%) had correct knowledge regarding brain death and the place of registration for organ donation. However, only 54 (44.3% students [95% confidence interval (CI): 35.49–53.11]) had adequate knowledge about organ donation and 59 (48.4%) students (95% CI: 39.53–57.27) had a positive attitude toward it. Younger respondents (odds ratio [OR] = 0.3685, P = 0.02) were more likely to have higher knowledge about organ donation. Positive attitude was more among male respondents (OR = 0.8788, P = 0.72) and those aged