Knowledge and attitude of nurses in Southern Philippines Medical Center towards organ donation

ABSTRACT

Background@#Organ donation (OD) is the major component for transplant programs. The need for the transplants is high and the gap between organs available for transplantation and the number of patients waiting for a transplant is widening globally. Nurses can play a vital role in promoting organ donation process that may influence the decision-making of donors and their families@*Objective@#This study sought to determine the knowledge and attitudes of nurses in Southern Philippines Medical Center on organ donation.@*Methodology@#A descriptive survey design was used in this study. Sample size computation was done in Epi Info version 7.1.4.0. A modified Organ Donor Attitude Questionnaire based on the previous study by Bishop was utilized.@*Results@#The mean score for question pertaining to knowledge of the 268 participants was 6.34 ± 1.99 out of total of 10 points. A total of 138/268 (51.49%) participants have scores above the average score accumulated by the participants of the study. The overall mean attitude of respondents towards organ donation was 3.25 which is interpreted as undecided.@*Conclusion@#Nurses do not have adequate knowledge and attitude towards their role in OD process. There is a need to increase the nurses’ level of knowledge by exposing them to nursing courses to improve knowledge and attitudes.