# Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Organ Donation Among Medical Students in India: A Mixed Methods Study

## TL;DR

This study explores medical students' knowledge and attitudes about organ donation in India, finding high awareness but low registration rates and gaps in understanding brain death.

## Contribution

The study provides novel mixed-method insights into medical students' attitudes and barriers to organ donation in India, offering targeted recommendations for curricular and public interventions.

## Key findings

- 90% of students had good knowledge about organ donation, but only 27.5% understood brain death.
- Only 11% of students were registered donors, and 10% had discussed donation with family.
- Barriers included religious myths, lack of conviction, and family disapproval.

## Abstract

Background: Deceased organ donation rates are extremely low in India. As future physicians, medical students can advocate organ donation in society. However, their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding organ donation remain understudied in India. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to deceased organ donation among undergraduate medical students in India using a mixed methods approach.

Materials and methods: This is a mixed-method study with a cross-sectional survey conducted among 400 randomly selected medical students at a medical college in India using a pretested questionnaire. Additionally, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted to gain qualitative insights.

Results: Knowledge was high regarding organ donation (90%) but lower for brain death (27.5%). Most had positive attitudes, but only 11% were registered donors, and 10% had discussed organ donation with family. Multivariate regression revealed that having third- and fourth-year-old students, urban upbringing, good knowledge, and positive attitudes were associated with increased willingness to donate. Qualitative findings revealed gaps in brain death understanding, religious myths, lack of conviction, and family disapproval as barriers.

Conclusion: Despite good awareness, gaps in the comprehension of brain death persist among students. However, the registration and family discussion rates are very low. Targeted strategies such as integrating ethical issues into medical curricula, public awareness campaigns busting myths, simplifying donor registration, and promoting family conversations are strongly recommended. This can empower students to become physician advocates driving organ donation uptake in India.