title: Brain Death: Is It a Misunderstood Concept Among Nursing Students in the South of Poland?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of the present study was to analyze the knowledge and acceptance of the brain death (BD) concept among nursing students.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was undertaken in the academic year of 2011 to 2012 in nursing students from the University of the South of Poland. The sample was carried out in compulsory sessions, in the 5 years of the nursing degree study, with a completion rate of 80%. The questionnaire was validated (PCID-DTO Ríos), self-administered, and completed anonymously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The completion rate was 93% (492 of 530). Of the students surveyed, 75% (n = 369) knew the concept of BD and considered it to mean a person's death. Of the rest, 19% (n = 93) did not know it, and the remaining 6% (n = 30) believed that it did not mean that a person was dead. The following variables were significantly related with the correct knowledge of the BD concept: 1) age (22 ± 2 years; P ≤ .001); 2) academic year (P ≤ .001); 3) discussion with friends about organ donation and transplantation (ODT) (P = .035); 4) partner's favorable attitude toward donation and transplantation (P = .009); and 5) being Catholic (P = .031). In the multivariate analysis, the following variables persisted as independent variables related to the BD concept: a) age [OR = 1.468 (1.247-1.697); P ≤ .001] and b) partner's opinion of ODT [OR = 2.248 (1.255-4.025); P = .006]. No association was found with attitude toward ODT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 25% of the students from the Jagiellonian University of Kraków did not know or accept the concept of brain death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; International Collaborative Donor Project ("Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante"), Murcia, Spain; Reina Sofía General University Hospital, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: marmikla@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mikla
authors.affiliation: International Collaborative Donor Project ("Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante"), Murcia, Spain; Department of Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Transplant Unit, Surgery Service, IMIB - Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain; Regional Transplant Center, Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo de la Región de Murcia, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: arzrios@um.es.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ríos
authors.affiliation: International Collaborative Donor Project ("Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante"), Murcia, Spain; Department of Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Department of Psychology, Universidad Católica San Antonio, UCAM, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Navas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brzostek
authors.affiliation: International Collaborative Donor Project ("Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante"), Murcia, Spain; Department of Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Transplant Unit, Surgery Service, IMIB - Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain; Regional Transplant Center, Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo de la Región de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez-Alarcón
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramis
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynaecology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Transplant Unit, Surgery Service, IMIB - Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain; Regional Transplant Center, Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo de la Región de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: López-Montesinos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001926:Brain Death; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D011044:Poland; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D055815:Young Adult