Attitudes and beliefs of South African medical students toward organ transplantation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess and analyse the attitudes and beliefs of medical students regarding organ donation, procurement, and transplantation. Medical students at the University of Cape Town were prospectively surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. There were 346 study participants; the mean age was 21 (range 18-33) yr, 38% were male and 62% was female. Only 8% of respondents were registered donors; clinical and white students constituted the majority of this group. Of the 315 "non-donors," the main reason for not donating was "I have not really thought about organ donation" (59%). Most students (91%) would accept an artificial organ; and 87% and 52% of students would accept human and animal organs respectively. Muslim students (11%, p<0.05) and those who believe in an after-life or reincarnation (18%, p=0.00) were less willing to accept human or animal organs. About 95% of respondents stated that they would like to learn more about transplantation and would keep information about it in their practice but only 18% of respondents knew where to find information for potential donors and recipients. Most students have a favorable attitude toward organ transplantation; religion and belief systems impact on willingness to receive organs.

Reflective journals: unmasking student perceptions of anatomical education

“…The literature is replete with studies documenting dissection room experiences [76]. Many studies report on the negative emotions such as anxiety, disgust and/or apprehension experienced by students [18,19,30,35,60,78,79,88]. According to Shapiro et al [78], this anxiety is both natural and healthy, especially if it leads to reflection and self-analysis.…”

Update on lung transplantation: programmes, patients and prospects

“…Interestingly, the results of HIV in these cases are surprisingly not disastrously bad in the setting of appropriate management and, although there may be a reporting bias at play, the relatively positive outcomes offer unique pathobiological insights into the potential interaction(s) between newly and/or previously acquired HIV infection and a suppressed immune system [229]. Building on these observations, in South Africa, where there is a high prevalence of HIV and renal failure in the setting of limited resources for healthcare, there is now an active programme of renal transplantation using HIV positive donors and recipients with short-and long-term outcomes that are acceptable for that population [230,231].…”

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“…These worries also were raised among health students such as nursing, midwife, and medical in Turkey. 9,16,18,19,23,24,27,31 Sobnach and associates 35 found that 11% of Muslim medical students and 18% of medical students who express a belief in the afterlife are less willing to accept human or animal organs. Other points related to loss of bodily integrity are problems related to body image (which was mentioned solely by midwifery students).…”