Knowledge Gaps and Educational Needs in Organ Transplantation: A Study of Portuguese Medical Students

Objective: Kidney transplantation has been a life-changing procedure for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Portugal ranks high globally in transplantation, benefiting from an "opt-out" system that presumes consent for organ donation. The effectiveness of transplantation programs depends significantly on public knowledge and the willingness to donate, where medical students play a crucial role. This study assesses the knowledge and educational needs of medical students regarding organ transplantation and donation.

Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed to fifth-year medical students from 2 universities in Porto, Portugal, affiliated with different hospital centers during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Results: A total of 427 students responded, with a response rate of 85.0%, higher at Center 1 (93.0%) compared to Center 2 (70.0%) (P-value < .001). The majority were aware of the opt-out legislation (92.3%) and recognized ESRD as the primary cause of kidney transplantation (96.1%). Knowledge of donation types was high, particularly for brain death (92.6%) and living donation (91.5%), but lower for donation after circulatory death (73.1%). Awareness of donation after circulatory death was significantly higher among respondents from Center 1 (79.4%) than Center 2 (59.1%; P < .001). Only a minority were familiar with immunosuppressive drugs (36.0%) and had practical exposure to transplant-related activities. Satisfaction with transplantation education was low (8.2%), with significant differences between the centers.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that medical schools should enhance educational content and provide more experiences to prepare future healthcare providers adequately.