Current Topics in TransplantationOrgan donationAssessment of Attitude and Knowledge of Personnel in the Intensive Care Unit of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Hospitals Toward Organ Donation

•This is the first report about the attitude of health care workers of ICUs in Northwest Iran.•Continuing education for nurses is necessary to improve skills and knowledge, as well as sensitivity to cultural, ethical, social, and religious issues, and advocacy in the area of organ donation.•The most important thing that should be clarified for this group is the concept of brain death to achieve a multidisciplinary team that believes in organ donation and transplantation.

BackgroundThe increasing gap between organ supply and demand remains a worldwide problem and can be attributed to several reasons. Because health care workers play an important role in management of brain dead patients, we performed a survey to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of personnel in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences hospitals toward organ donation.Materials and MethodsThis cross-sectional study was included personnel from 8 university affiliated ICUs in Northwest of Iran from May to July 2014. The questionnaire included parts of demographic data and socioeconomic situations as well as status of knowledge and attitude of personnel regarding organ donation.ResultsGender, age, marital status, and type of department in which personnel work did not affect attitude toward organ donation. The most common reasons for disagreement for organ donation were religious considerations, fear of surgery, and body mutilation. Nurses have a better acceptance rate than assistants and nonmedical personnel.ConclusionsIncreasing the knowledge of health care workers in ICUs has strong impact on transplantation rate. The most important thing that should be clarified for this group is the concept of brain death to achieve a multidisciplinary team that believes in organ donation and transplantation.