Young People’s Views of Organ Donation and Transplantation as Seen by High-School and University Students in Sweden

Introduction: Organ donation and transplantation of organs are one of the most effective ways to save lives and improve the quality of life for people with end-stage organ failure. Despite its increasing availability from the technological standpoint, the gap between the number of people waiting for transplantation and the number of donors is widening every year all over the world. Aim: To explore and elucidate high school and university students’ attitudes, knowledge and willingness regarding organ donation and transplantation. Methods: Data were collected from March 2018 to September 2019through three focus group interviews using open-ended questions, following an interview guide and qualitative content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman and about twenty-five adult students. Results: The analysis of the interviews resulted in three main categories: “Knowledge of organ donation”, “Being informed about organ donation” and “Willingness to be a donor”, including a number of subcategories. Interest in organ donation of all the students was at an extremely low level and they were critical and emphasized that their school offered very little or no education about organ donation. The extremely low level of knowledge was also found about a donor card, who can donate their organs and who can receive organs from other people. Conclusion: In order to overcome young people’s low level of knowledge about organ donation, structured and well-considered educational programs, which provide knowledge, information and education about prejudice relating to organ donation and transplantation should be prepared for all. More programs about organ donation must be available in different media and on the Internet.