Perception of organ donation in medical students at the Santa Clara de Asís University

Abstract

Currently, organ ablation and transplantation have become an innovative and necessary treatment that offers a solution and a second chance to those who have the opportunity to benefit from it. Nevertheless, culturally, the Paraguayan society maintains a conservative and reserved stance towards the increasing demand for organ transplants. The objective is to describe the perception of organ donation among medical students at the Universidad Santa Clara de Asís. The research is basic, descriptive non-experimental, prospective, cross-sectional, with a quantitative approach. A total of 205 students participated, selected from 400 through non-probabilistic voluntary sampling, using a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The most relevant results indicate that 83% are in favor of organ donation, 12% have an indifferent attitude, and 4% have a negative perspective. Additionally, 83% do not know anyone who needs a transplant, 14% know someone who needs a transplant, and 3% have a family member waiting for a transplant. This condition significantly influences their perception of organ donation, whether positive or negative. Concluding that the majority of students have a favorable perception towards organ donation. Theoretically, this suggests that knowledge and personal exposure influence attitudes towards donation. Practically, it highlights the need to improve education about donation and to use reliable information sources to foster positive attitudes and reduce indifference.