title: Effect of an educational program on attitudes towards deceased organ donation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Organ shortage for transplantation remains a serious global issue. We assessed the effects of an educational program on changing attitudes of medical students towards deceased organ donation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a non-randomized trial involving medical students who had not previously signed a donor card. Third-year medical students (n=86, program group) received an information pamphlet followed by a 60-min classroom lecture by a transplant physician who was himself a kidney transplant recipient and finally another information pamphlet containing a donor card. First-year students (n=87, control group) received the same two pamphlets only. The primary outcome was signing a donor card. The secondary outcomes included willingness to sign a donor card, willingness to donate organs, family discussion about deceased organ donation, and knowledge. Outcomes were measured by questionnaires before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A higher proportion of students of the program group signed a donor card than the pamphlet group (8.1% vs. 0%, respectively). After propensity score adjustment, the program was associated with higher proportion of willingness to sign a donor card (91.9% vs. 73.6%; adjusted proportion ratio 1.28 [95% CI 1.11-1.48]), family discussion (18.6% vs. 6.9%; 2.85 [1.15-7.03]), and increased knowledge. There were no significant differences between the two groups in willingness to donate organs after brain death (64.0% vs. 60.9%; 1.12 [0.90-1.40]) and cardiac death (77.9% vs. 71.3%; 1.11 [0.93-1.33]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The educational program delivered by a transplant physician and a recipient may alter the attitudes of medical students towards deceased organ donation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Saku Central Hospital, Saku, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikezoe
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Education, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, School of Public Health in the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CIRC2LE), Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D055815:Young Adult