KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF NURSING STUDENTS TOWARD ORGAN DONATION

Abstract

Background and Objective: Organ donation is a tremendous achievement in modern medicine, providing a second chance for patients with end-stage organ failure. Nonetheless, misconceptions, cultural and religious views and lack of awareness continue to limit donor registration. The purpose of this study to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding organ donation in selected colleges of Islamabad.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 133 undergraduate nursing students from two nursing colleges in Islamabad was done between September and October 2025. Data were collected with a validated questionnaire and analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 27, with a focus on descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained prior to data collection.

Results: Most participants (72.2%) were aged 21–23 years, and 77.4% were Muslims. A majority (84.2%) understood the concept of organ donation, and 78.2% recognized brain death, but only 21.8% were aware of Pakistan’s organ donation law. Cultural beliefs were identified as a key barrier (69.9%). While 73.0% knew that organ donation saves lives, only 27.8% expressed a desire to donate organs after their death. Overall, students demonstrated good knowledge but possessed a negative attitude toward organ donation.

Conclusion: Despite having enough knowledge, nursing students possessed negative attitude about organ donation. Integrating structured education, awareness programs, and philosophical discussions into nursing curricula may improve perceptions and encourage donor engagements.