Organ and tissue donation: what do high school students know?

• Published in: Einstein (São Paulo, Brazil) Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 213 - 219
• Main Authors: Marcela Cristina de Lemos, Fernanda Myashiro Kian, Alessandra Santos Silva, Tatiana Issida Fujinami, Bartira de Aguiar Roza, Renata Fabiana Leite, Janine Schirmer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein 01.09.2007
• Subjects: attitudes; Directed tissue donation /legislation & jurisprudence; Health knowledge; practice
• ISSN: 1679-4508

Objectives: To know the opinion of senior high school students in publicand private schools on the process of donating and transplanting organsand tissues, and their desire to be donors. Methods: A descriptive crosssectionalstudy, conducted from 2004 to 2005, on the opinion/knowledgeof senior high school students in public and private schools in the VilaMariana region of the city of São Paulo, on the process of organ and tissuedonation and transplantation. The convenience sample was made up of140 (81%) students from two private schools and 167 (51%) studentsfrom a public school. The project was approved by the Research EthicsCommittee of the UNIFESP. Results: Data showed that 163 (53.1%)students believe that donation is by presumed consent and 147 (47.9%)that consider that it occurs by informed consent. Of the public schoolstudents, 120 (71.9%) believe that transplants are public and free ofcharge in Brazil versus 94 (67.1%) of the students from private schools.Students know that donations may be made by living or dead donors(121 - 86.4% private schools versus 113 – 67.7% public school). Wehighlight that 22 (15.7%) of the private school students and 16 (9.6%)of those from the public school believe that the commerce of organs isallowed in Brazil. As to intentions of being a donor, 108 (77.1%) of theprivate school students declared themselves organ and tissue donorsversus 106 (63.5%) from the public school, and 63 (59.4%) from thepublic versus 61 (56.5%) from the private schools have already informedtheir families. Conclusion: There was no difference in knowledge andopinion among the students from the public and private schools as toaspects regarding donation and transplantation.