Knowledge and attitudes of the general population of Limassol, regarding organ donation

Introduction: The ignorance of the population regarding organ donation and their inadequate information affect negatively the growth of donors in Cyprus. Aim: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of the general population of Limassol, regarding organ donation and the factors that influence their decision. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1200 people in Cyprus, in the Limassol province. The sampling method used was the sampling of convenience and the questionnaire completion was made anonymous in public venues from June to September 2014. Data analysis was performed with IBM SPSS 21.0. Results: Women with 56,7%, felt that organ donation saves lives (p<0.05) and would like to become organ donors. In addition, they knew that there was a waiting list for prospective recipients (p<0.05) and agreed that to remove an organ from the donor he must be brain-dead compared to the 43,3% to the men. In contrast, men with 40,1% were more likely to know if brain death was reversible (p<0.05), unlike women with 34,7%. The participants stated that they had no information about the issue of donation and whether they were informed by the media. Still, the attitude of the Orthodox Church remains unknown to them. Conclusion: There is no proper information on organ donation and therefore there is a shortage of donors.

Keywords: Organ donation, donor, brain death, transplantations, information