Bridging the gap in organ donation: a comprehensive analysis of knowledge, attitude, and willingness among undergraduate nursing students at IIUM Kuantan, Malaysia

Organ donation involves transferring healthy organs to those in need, and nursing students, as future healthcare providers, are key to public education on this topic. Despite the critical demand for organs, donor shortages persist globally due to public misconceptions. Nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness are pivotal, yet limited research explores these factors in the Malaysian context. To assess knowledge, attitudes, and willingness toward organ donation among IIUM Kuantan undergraduate nursing students. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Kulliyyah of Nursing, IIUM Kuantan, using an online questionnaire. Data on demographics, knowledge, attitude, and willingness were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Independent T-tests, and One-way ANOVA. Among 227 respondents, over 50% had fair knowledge of organ donation, 91.6% had positive attitudes, and 64.3% expressed high willingness. Year of study was not significantly associated with knowledge, attitude, or willingness (p > 0.05). Gender was significantly associated with willingness (p = 0.001) but not with knowledge or attitude (p > 0.05). Enhancing nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness toward organ donation is crucial for addressing global donor shortages and saving lives