An educational intervention on organ and tissue donation for first-year medical students.
BACKGROUND
Medical students and medical professionals have knowledge deficits related to organ and tissue transplantation.


OBJECTIVE
To implement and evaluate a medical education intervention on organ and tissue donation designed for first-year medical students.


METHODS
Independent sample pretest and posttest design.


METHODS
First-year medical students attending University at Buffalo School of Medicine during fall 2005 and fall 2006 terms.


METHODS
A 1-hour lecture on the background of organ donation, donor eligibility (eg, living vs deceased donation), policies and roles during transplantation (eg, role of physician and organ procurement organization), and the organ-matching process. After the lecture, students participated in a small-group interaction that used standardized patients who role-played 1 of 2 scenarios designed to test students' knowledge and communication about organ and tissue donation.


METHODS
Knowledge, self-efficacy, family discussion, and enrollment into state organ and tissue registry.


RESULTS
Significant increases from pretest to posttest in medical students' knowledge, self-efficacy, and family notification of donation intentions were found. The intervention was successful in increasing students' knowledge and awareness about organ and tissue donation. Future research should implement and evaluate a course-long curriculum on donation.
Feeley
Thomas Hugh
TH
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Tamburlin
Judith
J
Vincent
Donald E
DE
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement