Symeou S, Karageorgos FF, Markozannes G, Papalois V, Tsoulfas G. Knowledge and attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation among medical students in Greece: A cross-sectional survey. World J Transplant 2026; 16(3): 117608 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.117608]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Georgios Tsoulfas, MD, Chief, Director, FACS, Professor, Department of Transplantation Surgery, Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 49 Konstantinoupoleos Street, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece. tsoulfasg@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Transplantation
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research-article
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Symeou S, Karageorgos FF, Markozannes G, Papalois V, Tsoulfas G. Knowledge and attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation among medical students in Greece: A cross-sectional survey. World J Transplant 2026; 16(3): 117608 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.117608]
Solonas Symeou, Filippos F Karageorgos, Georgios Tsoulfas, Department of Transplantation Surgery, Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Georgios Markozannes, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110, Greece
Vassilios Papalois, Imperial College Renal and Transplant Centre, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0HS, United Kingdom
Vassilios Papalois, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Symeou S and Karageorgos FF contributed to data acquisition and drafting the manuscript; Symeou S, Karageorgos FF, and Markozannes G contributed to data acquisition analysis and interpretation; Symeou S, Karageorgos FF, Papalois V, and Tsoulfas G revised the manuscript; Symeou S, Papalois V, and Tsoulfas G conceptualized the study; Markozannes G supervised the analytical process; Papalois V and Tsoulfas G designed the study and supervised the overall study.
AI contribution statement: No part of the manuscript text was generated by AI. All content was written entirely by the authors.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Approval No. 9/15.7.2025).
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Georgios Tsoulfas, MD, Chief, Director, FACS, Professor, Department of Transplantation Surgery, Center for Research and Innovation in Solid Organ Transplantation, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 49 Konstantinoupoleos Street, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece. tsoulfasg@gmail.com
Received: December 11, 2025 Revised: February 7, 2026 Accepted: March 12, 2026 Published online: September 18, 2026 Processing time: 263 Days and 9.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: As future clinicians, medical students will play a pivotal role in counseling families about organ donation. However, this study reveals significant gaps in core transplant knowledge and limited confidence in the Hellenic Transplant Organization. While willingness to donate is high, formal registration remains low, with altruism often tethered to family ties. This intention-behavior gap suggests that current medical education leaves future doctors underprepared to advocate effectively. Encouragingly, prior dialogue and institutional visibility correlate with supportive attitudes. Targeted curricular reform, institutional engagement and student-centered initiatives are therefore essential to bridge these gaps and empower the next generation of clinicians.
