DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i12.053

Pages: 4473-4478

There is a lack of awareness and misconception regarding organ donation among people in India. The following study was done to assess the knowledge and attitude towards organ donation of people residing in a rural community of west bengal. It was an Observational, Descriptive study of cross-sectional design conducted among people randomly selected from Amdanga Community Development Block of West Bengal using a pre-tested semi-structured schedule. Out of the total 110 participants, 102 (92%) were aware of the term organ donation. Although majority of them (66%) believed organ donation to be a noble act and should be encouraged, only 24% of the respondents agreed to donate organ if required and only 20% were willing to sign organ donor card so that their organ can be harvested for donation after death. More than half of them had fear in their mind that donated organs could be misused. Proportion of people having a ‘positive attitude’ towards organ donation, was higher in the age group below 55 years and in people having higher educational status and the difference was significant (p<0.05). Mass awareness campaign should be conducted at the local level to promote organ donation among general population to tackle the problem of huge demand-supply gap of organs in India.