Published online Jun 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i11.2235
Peer-review started: March 12, 2020
First decision: April 25, 2020
Revised: May 4, 2020
Accepted: May 26, 2020
Article in press: May 26, 2020
Published online: June 6, 2020
Processing time: 87 Days and 6.8 Hours
The most important factors affecting attitudes on organ donation are socioeconomic, educational, cultural, and religious factors in many countries.
To evaluate the attitudes, awareness, and knowledge levels of the Turkish adult population toward organ donation.
This nationwide study surveyed 3000 adults (≥ 18 years) in Turkey. To ensure a representative sample, the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics-II (modified for Turkey) was used. Turkey was divided into 26 regions based on social, economic, and geographic criteria as identified by the Turkish Statistical Institute. A stratified sampling method was used with an even distribution of adults across cities and towns based on population data. Data were collected by the PRP Research and Consultancy Company using computer-assisted personal interviews.
Out of 3000 individuals represented in the study population, 1465 (48.8%) were male and 1535 (51.2%) female. The results showed that most participants were under 45 years (59.0%) and married (72.1%), some had a bachelor's degree or higher (21.9%), and very few (1.5%) had any direct experience with organ transplantation - whether in the family, or a family member on a transplantation waiting list. Most of the study population (88.3%) had not considered donating an organ, however, most (87.9%) said that they would accept an organ from a donor if they needed one. Among the individuals surveyed, 67% were willing to donate an organ to a close relative, while 26.8% would donate an organ to an unrelated person. Only 47.2% said they had adequate information about brain death, and 85.2% refused to consent to donating organs of family members declared brain dead. Only 33.9% thought they had adequate information about organ donation. The main source of information was the television. The two main reasons for refusing organ donation were that it was too soon to think about organ donation and the importance of retaining the integrity of the dead person’s body.
This study showed that Turkey’s adult population has inadequate knowledge about organ donation. The study advocates for public education programs to increase awareness among the general population about legislation related to organ donation.
Core tip: The small pool of transplant organs remains a major problem especially in Asia and the Middle East. The most important factors affecting the availability of organs are socioeconomic, educational, cultural, and religious. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the attitudes, awareness, and knowledge levels of Turkish adults toward organ donation.