Knowledge and Attitudes of Students of the Medical University of Lodz Regarding Legal Aspects of Organ Transplantation in Poland. A Cross- sectional Study

Background: Nowadays, the transplantation of organs, tissues, and cells is a popular medical technique, but it still raises conflicting opinions in society.

Objectives: The study aimed to analyze the knowledge and attitudes of students of the Medical University of Lodz regarding legal aspects in the field of organ transplantation.

Material and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2024 as part of a bachelor’s thesis. The study involved 274 undergraduate and graduate students at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Medical University of Lodz. The anonymous survey consisted of two parts: the first part contained questions about general knowledge about the legal aspects of transplantation and attitudes toward transplantation, and the second part of the questionnaire included questions about socio-demographic data (gender, education, degree of studies, and place of residence).

Results: The level of students’ knowledge in the field of transplantology is average. Almost all respondents (95%) stated that society needs knowledge about transplantation. About 70% of students would consent to having their organs harvested after death to save the lives of other people. A similarly high result (73%) concerns becoming a living donor for a loved one. The large majority (81%) of respondents supported harvesting organs from deceased persons and transplanting them to other people to save lives. A greater chance of having high knowledge about transplantation was observed among female students (OR = 4.32; p < 0.001) and students living in large cities (OR = 3.92; p < 0.01) and small towns (OR = 5.2; p < 0.01).

Conclusions: There is a need to promote ideas and knowledge in the field of transplantology among students of medical universities as future healthcare workers.