Knowledge and Attitudes of the Turkish Population about Cadaver and Organ Donation

Abstract

Objective: Cadaver is an indispensable educational tool for anatomy and the widespread use of cadaver donation is of critical importance for this discipline. Organ donation is the permission of an individual to use his/her tissues and organs for the treatment of others during his/her life or after his/her death. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitudes of individuals in Turkish society about cadaver and organ donation. Methods: The study was conducted by applying a questionnaire consisting of 27 questions to 191 individuals between the ages of 18-55. The questionnaire included demographic questions, questions about cadaveric donation and organ donation. Frequency and chi-square analyses were used to analyze the questions. Results: Of the 191 individuals in the study, 157 stated that they had heard of cadaver donation before, and 187 stated that they had heard of organ donation before. Of the 157 individuals who had heard of cadaver donation, 109 were health care workers or individuals receiving health education. The significant relationship between being a health worker or health educated individual and hearing about cadaveric donation was analyzed by chi-square test and a significant difference was found (p<0.05). 157 individuals who heard about cadaver donation were asked from which source they heard about it and 62 individuals answered school-lecture-seminar. 187 individuals who heard about organ donation were asked from which source they heard about it and 81 individuals answered media-internet. To the question “Have you donated cadavers and organs?”, 2 individuals answered that they have donated cadavers and 5 individuals answered that they have donated organs. Conclusions: The results of our study showed that the number of individuals who donated cadavers and organs was low and the number of individuals who wanted to donate cadavers and organs in the future was also low. Necessary social awareness and public policies on cadaver and organ donation should be established.