Knowledge and Awareness of Organ Donation and Brain Death among the Population in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Background: Organ donation plays an important role in the treatment of cases of end organ failure and it has saved thousands of lives in the world. There is a worldwide shortage of donors in comparison to the need for transplantation. In Saudi Arabia, inadequate knowledge and inappropriate attitude are one of the most important barriers for organ donation.

Aim: The present study was designed to assess the knowledge and awareness of organ donation and brain death among the general population in Al-Ahssa Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Ahssa, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the period from February to April 2017. A pretested standardized questionnaire was used to collect information upon knowledge and awareness about organ donation and brain death, Sample technique used is Simple Random Sampling, Data entry was performed using SPSS Version 24 software.

Results: the responses of 410 of which 257 (62.7%) female and 153 (37.3%) male. The mean age was 29 years, the majority of the participants have a bachelor degree 251 (61.2%), followed by 136 (33.2%) with high school degree and 23 (5.6%) with master or Ph.D. degrees. 342 (83.4%) of the participants did not know the systemic regulation of organ donation in our country and how they can get the donation card. Majority of the sample 331 (80.7%) reported social media as the main source of information, followed by symposium and campaign 28 (6.8%). 141 (34.4%) of participants are willing to donate their organs while 70 (17.1%) do not want to donate and 199 (48.5%) are not sure. 255 (62.2%) suggest providing educational and health insurance to the family as a promotion to increase organ donation. More than a third of our respondents had a misunderstanding regarding brain death and if patients can donate their organs or not.

Conclusion: The study shows that The population has inadequate knowledge about organ donation and brain death, it is important to generate more awareness regard this issue through the internet and educational campaigns to increase the knowledge and awareness.