KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF ORGAN DONATION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction:In India 9.5 million deaths occur annually. Nearly 10,0000 deaths are mainly due to organ failure. Organ transplantation is one of the most brilliant developments in the eld of medicine during twentieth century. Knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals towards organ donation play a major role in promoting the concept among general population and as future doctors, medical students should have adequate awareness regarding this important issue in our society that affects millions of lives. With this aim the present cross-sectional study is undertaken to assess the knowledge and attitude about organ donation among rst year undergraduate students of government medical college, Miraj. Results: 75.4% students knew where can we register for organ donation. 40.9% have heard of organ donation card. 22.4 % students knew we can register as donor at NOTTO. Only 13.1% students knew the importance of organ registry. Participants response towards organs donation in case of live donor included kidney 146(79.7 %), followed by liver 70(40.9%), bone marrow 45(24.5%), skin 32(17.4%). Conclusion: Exploring the knowledge and attitude of medical students toward organ donation is a vital step toward improving organ donation rates and patient care.