KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN AN LMIC ali.mustansir@scholar.aku.edu

 

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN AN LMIC

5

Pakistan

Oral or Poster

In Pakistan, deceased donor organ transplantation (DDOT) is legally permitted under Islamic law, but rare in practice. Few studies have assessed healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) understanding of law governing organ donation. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of healthcare workers (HCW) and medical students regarding organ donation in an LMIC.

Cross-sectional study, conducted across Pakistan, used an online questionnaire targeting HCPs. Calculated content validity index (CVI) was acceptable (0.856) based on two expert-ratings. Face validity ensured through pilot testing, and internal consistency measured using Cronbach’s-alpha. Questionnaire (convenience sampling) assessed knowledge, religious attitudes, and perceptions regarding DDOT. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests determined the trends in perceptions and attitudes; linear regression and t-tests (p < 0.05) assessed the influence of variables on overall knowledge score.

1,448 respondents (mean age: 24 years; 43.4% male, 56.0% female) completed the questionnaire, comprising 1,072 students and 376 HCW. The mean knowledge score was 3.37 ± 1.65, HCW scoring slightly higher than students (3.55 vs. 3.31, p =0.016). Doctors were the most important source of information on DDOT by 43.3%, followed by Quran (38.6%). Top three common barriers identified were family pressure (45.7%), cultural reasons (44.4%) and distrust of health systems (41%).

HCPs shape public understanding of organ donation in LMICs. Doctors are an important source of information on organ donation, yet their knowledge of current law is poor. Incorporating these topics into the medical curriculum and addressing them in health policies can promote accurate awareness, address organ shortages, and support a shift toward DDOT.