Effectiveness of eye donation orientation session in bridging the knowledge gap amongst undergraduate medical students in Delhi

Abstract

Background: Corneal blindness may be curable by keratoplasty but the demand for eye donation is however, unmet due to a variety of factors including knowledge gap. The purpose of this study was to assess the awareness of the medical undergraduate students towards eye donation and to assess the effectiveness of an orientation program in bridging the knowledge gap. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done on MBBS students of 2nd and 3rd professional years. A pretested questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of medical students. Knowledge regarding the contraindications to eye donation, the procedure involved and common misconceptions were assessed. This was followed by a session on orientation regarding eye donation. A second assessment using the same questionnaire was done after the session to assess the effectiveness of the same. The data was analysed using EPIINFO version 3.5.4 using chi square test. Results: Less than 50% students were aware of contraindications and less than 10% students knew ideal cornea harvesting time and nearest eye bank to their homes. Less than one-fourth students knew common causes of corneal blindness. However, most (77%) students were aware that hospital staff must motivate deceased’s family for eye donation. Significant increase in awareness was observed post orientation regarding most issues.Conclusions: This study shows that there is a knowledge gap amongst undergraduate medical students regarding eye donation. It also suggests that orientation sessions may be helpful in bridging this gap.