Transplant tourism and compensated kidney donation: A survey of opinions amongst Swedish medical students

Abstract

Objective: Transplant tourism and proposals for regulated compensated donation are reactions to the global scarcity in kidneys. These areas raise unique ethical challenges in medical education and clinical practice. We aimed to elucidate the opinions of soon-to-be physicians on transplant tourism, and compensated donation. We investigated how these opinions are formed, if they are interrelated, and their impact on encounters with patients. Design and Methods: a 14 item survey was developed using cognitive interviewing techniques, and distributed to the graduating class at Linköping Medical University. Spearman's correlation coefficient and Pearson's chi-square test were employed to investigate significant associations. Results: The response rate was 43/47 (92%). The majority were strongly (64%), or somewhat (29%) against transplant tourism. Those with strong negative positions on transplant tourism were significantly (p<0.05) more likely to dissuade patients from pursuing it. More students expressed support for regulated compensation from a clinical perspective (34%) as compared with support from an ethical perspective (15%). Conclusions: The opinions of young physicians on transplant tourism are a significant indicator for their clinical approach. Young physicians balance competing ethical responsibilities such as respect for autonomy against concerns for kidney vendors in the developing world. Clinical and policy scenarios, similar to those used in this survey are useful tools for students to explore challenging ethical issues within their medical education, to provide appropriate guidance for patients and empower them through health education.