Summary of Results From the Questionnaire to Medical Students on Organ Donation
| Correct responses to knowledge tested | Correct, % |
|---|---|
| Family wishes override wishes expressed on an organ donor card. | 41 |
| Organs are allocated to critical patients first, then to those who have waited longest. | 60 |
| Brain death means that the patient is dead not in a coma. | 64 |
| Persons who die at the scene of an accident can donate tissues, not organs. | 13 |
| Persons at high risk for HIV cannot donate to persons not at risk for HIV. | 43 |
| Proof of brain damage, exclusion of reversible causes of coma, and absent brainstem reflexes are all required to make a diagnosis of brain death. | 67 |
| Primary brain tumour is not a contraindication to organ donation. Diabetes, melanoma, cardiovascular disease, and bacteremia may be contraindications. | 44 |
| People of all religious groups should be approached about organ donation. | 50 |
| If possible, other family members should be with the next of kin when the request for organ donation is made. | 32 |
| The next of kin should be told which organs are suitable for transplantation. | 84 |
| The process for removing organs should be explained. | 56 |
| Ideally, the family rather than the physician would initiate discussion about the near future after a diagnosis of brain death is made. | 12 |
| Requesting organ donation usually does not add to a family’s grief. | 77 |