Attitudes toward live and postmortem kidney donation: a survey of Chinese medical students

• Published in: Experimental and clinical transplantation : official journal of the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation Vol. 12; no. 6; pp. 506 - 509
• Main Authors: Ge, Fangmin, Kaczmarczyk, Gabriele, Biller-Andorno, Nikola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey 01.12.2014
• Subjects: Altruism; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Attitude of Health Personnel - ethnology; Attitude to Death - ethnology; China; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Gift Giving; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice - ethnology; Humans; Kidney Transplantation - methods; Kidney Transplantation - psychology; Living Donors - psychology; Living Donors - supply & distribution; Male; Pilot Projects; Religion and Medicine; Socioeconomic Factors; Students, Medical - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tissue and Organ Procurement; China
• ISSN: 2146-8427
• DOI: 10.6002/ect.2014.0078

As the gap between supply and demand for donor organs is increasing, we sought to clarify the knowledge and attitudes regarding living-organ donation among Chinese medical students and analyze their incentives and influencing factors. Data were collected from Chinese medical students using a standardized questionnaire. Of 320 surveyed participants, 261 participants (81.6%) said they would consider donating their live kidney organ, and 262 participants (81.9%) were willing to donate posthumously. Although 177 participants (55.7%) confirmed current regulations on posthumous organ donation, only 85 participants (26.7%) could correctly identify the regulations on live organ donation in China. Gender differences were not significantly associated with willingness to donate a kidney, whereas religion and socioeconomic status of the respondents were significantly associated with willingness to donate a live or posthumous kidney. Among well-informed, young, healthy, and economically well-off Chinese male and female medical students, most were willing to be live kidney donors. Religion and socioeconomic status may affect the decision-making process for organ disposition.