Background: Organ transplantation is considered as one of the biggest advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is greater than the number of people who donate. The knowledge and attitudes of people toward organ donation are affected by significant factors, such as education and knowledge, and societal factors, such as religion and culture. The aim of this study is to access the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward organ donation in Jeddah, Makkah, and Taif medical colleges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out via a questionnaire on medical students in the western region of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Makkah, and Taif universities), from October to November 2018. Out of 467 participants, only 352 were included and 115 were excluded because the students in the first year in some universities were considered to be in the preparatory year.
Results: Most of the participants had poor knowledge (61.1%), on the other hand, 86.1% (n = 303) had an appropriate attitude. There was no significant relationship between the knowledge level and gender or between the knowledge level and university type, whereas a significant relationship was found between the knowledge level and the academic year. A non-significant relationship was found between the attitude level and gender, university type, or the academic year.
Conclusion: It was concluded that most of the participants had poor knowledge and most of them had an appropriate attitude about organ donation.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, students, organ, donation, Saudi
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