Title: Knowledge and attitude of undergraduate medical students in kenya towards solid organ donation and transplantation

Abstract:

Objective: To describe the knowledge and attitudes of Kenyan undergraduate medical students towards solid organ donation and transplantation, and their level of competence in handling end-of-life issues.Methods: A sample of undergraduate medical students from all the medical schools in Kenya offering a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) were prospectively surveyed using a self-administered web-based questionnaire, between July and September 2018.Results: There were 303 participants; 167 (55.1%) were female and 136 (44.9%) were male. Only 8.9% of the students had read the laws governing organ donation and transplantation in Kenya. An even lower percentage (3.3%) felt that they had learnt enough about solid organ donation from their MBChB curriculum. 52.8% of the respondents would subscribe as solid organ donors; which reduced to 46.5% when it came to consenting the donation of their relative’s organs. Less than half of the students felt they would be comfortable introducing the topic (39.6%) or confident answering questions (22.8%) related to organ donation and transplantation. Only 9.9% of the students had ever spoken to a patient about organ donation. There was no significant association between level of study (pre-clinical versus clinical) and comfort introducing the topic of organ donation (p=.206) or experience talking to a patient about organ donation (p=.102).Conclusion: Undergraduate medical students have significant knowledge gaps regarding organ donation and transplantation, and feel ill-prepared to approach a potential donor or transplant recipient. Introduction of dedicated organ donation education programs targeting medical students can be used to address these deficits.

Biography:

Marie-Claire Wangari is a medical student in University of Nairobi. She serves in the Project Coordination Team in the Finance Department. She is an active IFMSA and MSAKE member. She served as the 2016/17 MSAKE president and 2016/17 IFMSA Africa NMO Development Assistant. She is passionate about health advocacy and mental health.