Organ Donation in the Emergency Department: Awareness and Opportunities

Abstract

Background The only cure for end-organ failure is transplantation. Unfortunately, there are fewer organ donors than patients. Currently, the majority of organ donations come from live or brain-dead donors. In order to expand the pool of potential organ donors, the emergency department should be utilized effectively. Objectives The primary goal of this research is to determine emergency physicians' knowledge, awareness, and attitude about organ donation. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted through different hospitals in Saudi Arabia. It includes 106 physicians in the adult emergency departments. Results The majority (84.9%) of the participants never reported any case in the emergency department as a potential case for organ donation. In addition, 54.8% of the participants report having little to no knowledge of the ethical issues of organ donation. Furthermore, 66.1% of respondents claim to have little to no knowledge of the goals and duties of the SCOT (Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation). It was interesting to see that 96.2% of the participants reported that their organizations do not have any policies or procedures in place regarding organ donations. Regarding education, 99 (93.4%) physicians did not participate in any organ donation course, training, or teaching program about organ donation. At the same time, 67 (63.2%) physicians concurred that participation in a training program is essential. Moreover, 68 (64.2%) physicians believed that organ donation should be a part of every end-of-life case. In order to improve the donation process in the emergency department, 88 (83%) physicians would want a well-established program with defined policies and procedures. Conclusion According to our findings, the emergency physician has inadequate expertise and information on organ donation rules and procedures, which has resulted in a missed opportunity to recruit more potential donors. We recommend instituting clear policy and procedures and educating the physicians and all emergency medicine staff to have better outcome.

Keywords: emergency department; emergency physician; organ donation; organ failure; organ transplantation.

Figure 1. Do you work in a medical center that performs a transplant surgery?