Do Age and Religion Have an Impact on the Attitude to Organ Transplantation?

How to Promote the Idea of Transplantation-Second Life Social Campaign as an Example of Successful Action in Poland-What Youth Is Used to, Adults Remember

Background: Solid organ transplantation, which began as an experimental procedure over 100 years ago, has now become a viable therapeutic option for the vast majority of patients with end-stage organ failure. However, a major limiting factor remains the shortage of organs available for transplantation. To expand the donor pool, it is essential to increase awareness of transplantation, including its legal, cultural, and ethical aspects. Every year, numerous organizations, primarily non-governmental, organize hundreds of campaigns promoting transplantation worldwide. The majority of these initiatives are one-time events tied to observances such as World Transplant Day, World Kidney Day, and others. The growing role of social media in spreading information is also becoming a key factor in promoting organ donation and transplantation, as social factors play an important role in expanding the donor pool. Many organizations that support transplantation, along with healthcare providers, widely use platforms like Facebook and other social media to promote and increase organ donation. Objectives: The "Second Life" is a social campaign presentation to raise awarenes about transplantation. Project Description: The campaign has been running continuously for 17 years in Poland, promoting the concepts of organ donation and transplantation in collaboration with high school students. During this time, 950 high schools across the country participated in the project, with approximately 450,000 high school students actively engaging in the campaign. Outcomes: They organized a series of activities to promote organ donation and transplantation within their social circles, distributing nearly 1.5 million declarations of will. Additionally, they helped raise awareness about presumed consent and educated others on the concepts of organ donation and transplantation. Conclusions/Implications: This long-term initiative is crucial for raising awareness, educating the public, and promoting the idea of organ donation. It fosters a more positive attitude toward organ donation and transplantation, ultimately contributing to the expansion of the donor pool and an increase in transplantations in the near future.

Barriers and facilitators of deceased organ donation among Muslims living globally: An integrative systematic review

AIM

To identify the barriers and facilitators of deceased organ donation among the Muslim community living globally.

METHOD

A systematic search was undertaken in databases such as CINAHL, Medline with full text, Global Health and PsycINFO via EBSCO; Scopus via Elsevier; Web of Science via Clarivate; and PubMed via US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health were used to retrieve the studies on the 31st of December 2023. Apart from these databases two other journals, the Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation, and the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Transplantation were also used to search for relevant studies. Quantitative and qualitative studies that addressed the aim of the present review published from the 30th of April 2008 were included.

RESULTS

Of the 10,474 studies, 95 studies were included in the review. The following five themes were generated based on narrative synthesis: 1) knowledge of organ donation, 2) willingness to donate, 3) community influence, 4) bodily influence, and 5) religious influence. While individuals view organ donation as a noble act, societal influences significantly impact their decision to register. Concerns include religious permissibility, potential misuse for commercial purposes, and the dignity and respect given to the deceased donor's body.

CONCLUSIONS

This review finds deceased organ donation decisions in this population are collective, influenced by religious views, and hindered by uncertainty. Interventional studies on strategies to address uncertainty could help us identify best practices for this population to improve deceased organ donation. Rather than an individual approach among this population, a whole-system approach, tailored-made evidence-guided community engagement could improve donation rates.

Knowledge and attitude about organ donation and transplantation among Omani university students

Background

Despite the importance of organ donation and transplantation in improving the quality of life, still, there is a shortage of organ donations, worldwide. Lack of knowledge among the public could be the reason. In previous studies, the focus was predominantly on medical students at universities. The aim of this study was to assess university students' knowledge and attitude about organ donation and transplantation among different colleges at the university.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students between August 2021 and February 2022 using a validated self-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of five sections. The first section was about the research information. The second section was informed consent. The third section was about sociodemographic information. The fourth section was about the knowledge of organ donation. The last section was about the attitude toward organ donation. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.

Results

The study included 2,125 students. 68.1% were females, and 93.1% were in the age group 17-24 years old. Only 34.1% had good knowledge about organ donation, 70.2% had a low attitude, and 7.53% had adequate information about brain death. The most common reason for supporting donating organs among university students was to save a life (76.8%) and the most common reason for refusing organs, was I am still unaware. In addition, only 25.66% of the participants had a high attitude toward people with poor knowledge about organ donation. The majority of the students (84.13%) used online sources and social networks as the primary sources of information about organ donation.

Conclusion

The knowledge and attitudes of university students toward organ donation and transplantation were low. Saving a life was the most common reason for supporting organ donation, and knowledge was the biggest obstacle. Online sources and social networks were the primary sources of knowledge. The attitude was greatly influenced by knowledge. Organizing campaigns, and events, and incorporating organ donation and transplantation into university curricula will increase university students' knowledge and attitudes.

Burnout, mental health symptoms, and empathy in healthcare workers who care for children treated in a liver transplant center

OBJECTIVE

The healthcare workers in pediatric liver transplantation units are exposed to various stresses; however, their burnout has not been clarified yet. This study aimed to determine burnout, psychological symptoms and empathy levels in healthcare workers, to examine the relationship between these variables and to investigate the predictors of burnout.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted on healthcare workers in Turgut Özal Medical Center Pediatric Liver Transplant Institute. The participants filled out a questionnaire that investigating demographic and occupational characteristics, and including questions from Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and Brief Symptom Inventory.

RESULTS

Fifty healthcare workers participated in the study. Based on moderate and higher severity scores, 48% of the participants were emotionally exhausted, 22% of them were depersonalized. All of them had a high perception of personal accomplishment. There was a correlation between psychological symptoms level and emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment as well as empathy and personal accomplishment. Not choosing the profession and the department willingly, age, education level, marital status, duration of profession, unit, not receiving in-service training, empathy, depressive symptoms and hostility scores predicted different aspects of burnout.

CONCLUSION

Considering that burnout and psychological stress lead to reduced professional abilities and the development of serious complications, the results obtained can guide managers on the measures to be taken.

Contribution of Arab world in transplant research: A PubMed-based bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

The Arab world consists of 22 countries situated in the Middle East and North Africa, tied together by linguistic and cultural bonds. Over numerous past decades, this region tended to fall behind regarding biomedical research. Organ, tissue, and cell transplantation are life-saving and life-improving treatments for various diseases. Given the positive correlation between research activity and the improvement of the clinical frame of transplantation, this article intended to examine the regional activity of transplantation research between 2005 and 2019.

METHODS

Using the PubMed database, the number of transplantation-related articles published by each country, and regarding 26 different procedures, was assessed. The results were normalized with respect to each country's average population & average Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In addition, the co-occurrence of keywords and the co-authorships were analyzed by VOS Viewer.

RESULTS

Arab countries contributed to 1.25% of total transplantation publications. The number of transplantation publications had an inflection in 2013, with the last six years alone contributing to 65.27% of the overall regional transplantation-related publications. Kuwait and Lebanon ranked first in terms of publications per million persons, while Egypt ranked first in terms of publications per national GDP. Stem cell, bone & kidney transplantations had the highest number of Arab transplantation-related publications. Low levels of collaboration between authors and organizations were observed, besides a modest but increasing trend towards experimental work on animals and newer therapies.

CONCLUSION

Despite the increase in transplant-related research activity in recent years, the Arab world still lags behind in this field compared to the worldwide contribution.

Identification of Immunosuppressive Medication Nonadherence Factors Through a Combined Theory Model in Renal Transplant Recipients: 6-12

Background: Immunosuppressive medication (IM) nonadherence is associated with poor transplant outcomes. Therefore, it is of great importance to identify predictive factors with IM nonadherence. We aimed to improve the predicted capacity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by adding health belief model's (HBM) variables in renal transplant patients (RTPs). Methods: This cross-sectional study distributed questionnaires to patients who had undergone renal transplant and follow-up regularly in the transplant center of Third Xiangya Hospital in China. The self-developed questionnaire collected data in three aspects: general data questionnaire, TPB, HBM-specific questionnaire, and Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications scale. Results: A total of 1,357 of 1,480 patients completed the survey, with a participation rate of 91.69% and IM nonadherence rate of 33.53%. The marital status, household income, preoperative drinking history, the time after transplantation, and religion showed independent predictive factors with IM nonadherence (p < 0.05). Strikingly, adding HBM variables to the TPB theory model significantly increased its prediction ability to IM nonadherence (52%). Also, HBM manifested the highest coefficient of effect (-0.620). Particularly, perceived barriers and perceived seriousness, the variables of the HBM model, played a vital influence on medication nonadherence (-0.284 and 0.256). Conclusion: Our study here reveals the first investigation of the combined effects of the TPB and HBM model on IM nonadherence in Chinese RTPs, which could significantly improve the predictive ability of any single model. Meanwhile, future interventions should be conducted to both increase perceived seriousness and reduce perceived barriers for taking IM, which will effectively decrease IM nonadherence rates and improve transplant outcomes.

Willingness of Hemodialysis Patient's Family Members Toward Kidney Donation: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

There is a significant shortage of kidneys available for donation. Family members of hemodialysis (HD) patients are experiencing the suffering of their close relatives, which can be a factor toward better acceptance to kidney donation. Knowledge is also an important factor that might affect willingness. In this study, we aimed to estimate the rate of willingness to donate kidneys as live donors (LD) and identify related potential barriers among family members of HD patients.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional observational study involving family members of adult HD patients from King Abdulaziz Medical City and the King Abdullah International Foundation dialysis project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Participants were interviewed through phone calls using a pretested questionnaire. Calculated sample size was 385.

RESULTS

A total of 370 family members of HD patients were included. Median age was 37 (interquartile range: 33-44) years and 64% were male. All participants were first-degree relatives to HD Patients. The majority reported willingness to donate kidneys as LD (n = 300, 81%), a proportion 0.81% with 95% confidence interval (CI; 0.77-0.85). Only 42 (11%) graded their knowledge about kidney transplantation as high or very high. On multivariable analysis, less willingness was shown with age >40 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.459; 95% CI 0.266-0.792; P = .005), and female gender (AOR 0.496; 95% CI 0.287-0.856; P = .012).

CONCLUSION

The majority of family members of HD patients were willing to donate kidneys. The willingness rate was lower among participants 40 years of age and older, as well as among women. The majority of patients graded their knowledge about kidney transplantation as average or lower. Therefore, education targeting of relatives of HD patients may help optimize knowledge and hence improve acceptance of kidney donation.

Opinions of Followers of Judaism Residing in the Northeastern Part of Poland on Organ Donation

BACKGROUND

Families of deceased potential donors often object to organ harvesting on religious grounds. The aim of this study was to learn the attitudes and opinions of Judaism followers regarding organ donation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 97 Judaism followers living in the northeastern part of Poland. The research used the diagnostic survey method.

RESULTS

A fairly large percentage (approximately 92%) of respondents accepted treatment using organ transplantation. The removal of organs for transplantation from a loved one after his death was accepted by about 90%. After his death, 14.43% expressed opposition to organ removal. About one-third of respondents did not talk to the family about their organ donation attitude. The average age of people who talked to their family about their will to donate was 49.69 ± 13.95 years. In total, 91.75% of the respondents had a positive attitude toward organ transplantation, 6.19% negative, and 2.06% indifferent. According to respondents, the most common reasons for a family's refusal to collect organs from the deceased are death-related emotions (53.61%), religious beliefs (36.08%), and fear of misuse of organs (22.68%).

CONCLUSION

Judaism believers mostly accept treatment with organs taken from living and deceased people. In a larger percentage, young people with higher and secondary education more often accepted organ donation.

Patient Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Associated with Organ Donation

Background

This study compared the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with organ donation and transplantation among patients undergoing dialysis versus those visiting family health centers (FHCs).

Material/Methods

This cross-sectional study included patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment at the Meram Medical Faculty and those visiting FHCs in Meram district for other reasons.

Results

The study participants were 128 individuals visiting FHCs and 111 patients undergoing dialysis. Of these, 169 individuals (70.7%) correctly answered the question “What is brain death?” The knowledge level in the FHC group was higher than that in the dialysis group. Less than half of the individuals indicated willingness to donate an organ. Furthermore, subjects in the dialysis group were more likely than those in the FHC group to answered “no” to the question “Would you be willing to donate an organ to someone of a different religion?”

Conclusions

Positive attitude towards organ transplantation and donation does not necessarily reflect positive behavior these 2 groups.

Theology and Nursing Students' Knowledge of Organ Donation and Transplantation

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge level of nursing and theology students, who will deliver health care and religious services in the future, about organ donation.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 578 university students at Firat University Faculty of Health Science Nursing Department and Faculty of Theology.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 49.3% were nursing students and 50.7% were theology students. Although 3.8% of the students stated that a family member had donated an organ, only 0.5% of all students had a donation card. Among the nursing students, 34.4% stated that they had no reason for not having a donation card and that they might donate in the future. Among the theology students, the rate was 27.3%. In terms of reasons for wishing to be an organ donor, religious beliefs were more important to theology students than to nursing students (18.4% and 16.1%, respectively). The nursing students' total score on the Organ-Tissue Donation and Transplantation Knowledge Scale was significantly higher than that of the theology students (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the current level of knowledge of nursing and theology students about organ donation and transplantation was adequate, the rate of organ donation was low. Therefore, not only health care professionals, but also religious officials have important roles to play in increasing the organ donation rate. Removing existing barriers to organ donation is important to resolve the current organ donation shortage in Turkey.

Hemodialysis Patients' Willingness to Undergo Kidney Transplantation: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

The number of dialysis patients is increasing, with only 20% undergoing kidney transplantation. In Saudi Arabia, no studies had examined transplantation barriers from the patients' perspectives. We aimed in this study to estimate hemodialysis (HD) patients' willingness to undergo kidney transplantation and to explore its underlying determinants.

METHODS

In an observational cross-sectional study involving adult HD patients from King Abdulaziz Medical City and King Abdullah Dialysis Center-Jeddah, patients were interviewed through a pre-tested questionnaire. Calculated sample size was 243.

RESULTS

Among the 252 HD patients (mean age, 55 years [standard deviation = 15.21]; 59% men; median duration on HD, 24 months [interquartile range, 11.1, 60]), 61% described their knowledge about kidney transplantation as "poor" or "very poor." Only 69% chose "willingness to undergo kidney transplantation" (proportion, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.75). The main reported reasons against willingness were being too old for transplantation (61%) and fear of surgical complications (26%). Less willingness was shown with age ≥60 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.2; 95% CI, 0.11-0.36; P < .001), duration on HD ≥5 years (AOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.25-0.89; P = .021), and being non-married (AOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.24-0.93; P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one third of the respondents did not choose "willingness to undergo kidney transplantation." Willingness was negatively associated with older age, lack of spouse, and longer duration on HD. The majority of HD patients reported poor knowledge about kidney transplantation. Therefore, structured education may optimize the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of HD patients toward kidney transplantation and hence improve their transplantation willingness.