Attitude of Students in Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Toward Donation After Cardiac Death

Background. This study aimed to investigate the attitude of students at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine toward organ transplantation and donation after cardiac death (DCD). Material and Methods. A questionnaire including 16 single-choice questions about organ transplantation and donation was designed, and a survey was conducted using this questionnaire on 300 randomly selected respondents at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. Results. The ratio of male to female was 1:2.4. Of the participants, 98.1% had heard of organ transplantation, and 68.2% had received the information through network news. Only 10.6% expressed a positive attitude toward organ transplantation in China. Further, 39.8% of the participants were willing to donate their organs after death, while 51.9% of the participants hesitated because of perceived opacity in how donated organs were used. Even among those who did not share this concern, only 46.2% considered it. However, 80.7% were in favor of organ donation between relatives. Separately, 67.4% and 60.2% of the participants were interested in participating in activities and publicity related to organ donation, respectively. Conclusions. A majority of the participants had an understanding of organ transplantation and had obtained this information through media. Most showed a positive attitude toward donation between relatives, but only some of them indicated willingness to donate their organs. Generally, acceptance and awareness of organ transplantation need to be improved. Media outreach and education might have a profound influence.