Abukhudair Walid, Hafiz Ahmad Z, Alosaimi Mohammed A, Alaynayn Fares A, Alosaimi Fahad A, Karam Rehab A, Abdelrahman Tamer M
Department of Cardiac Surgery, King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
J Saudi Heart Assoc. 2023 Nov 3;35(4):279-289. doi: 10.37616/2212-5043.1357. eCollection 2023.
The awareness of brain death and heart donation (HD) among the Saudi population remains limited, coupled with negative attitudes toward heart donation, resulting in a significant gap between the demand for donor hearts and the available supply. This study aimed to comprehensively understand the current perceptions, attitudes, and practices of the Saudi population regarding HD, as well as identify the obstacles. The ultimate goal was to strengthen the local donor pool.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2023, employing a self-administered internet survey. The survey collected demographic information, assessed awareness, attitudes, and practices related to HD, and was completed by 1820 participants from various regions in Saudi Arabia. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Chi-square test, Independent-samples t-test, one way analysis of variance test (ANOVA) and Spearman correlation coefficient was performed with the significance level set at p < 0.05.
A significant portion of the population (out of 1820 participants) lacked organ donation cards and were uncertain about the registration process. Participants displayed a moderate level of knowledge about HD, with roughly half holding unfavorable attitudes toward HD. A considerable percentage of participants 62.0% were unwilling to register as heart donors, but a majority (79.9%) were willing to contribute by disseminating information about HD. The study identified significant associations between knowledge scores and several factors, including age (p = 0.002), career (p = 0.000), possession of an organ donation card (p = 0.000), and a history of transplantation or organ donation among relatives (p = 0.000). A significant relationship was observed between attitude scores and several factors, including career (p = 0.001), Saudi region (p = 0.025), possession of an organ donation card (p = 0.000), and a history of transplantation or organ donation among relatives (p = 0.000).
The study highlights the urgent need for increased awareness to bolster the number of local heart donors. The involvement of healthcare professionals and social campaigns is essential to enhance public knowledge and potentially boost the willingness of individuals to become donors.
沙特民众对脑死亡和心脏捐赠（HD）的认知仍然有限，同时对心脏捐赠持负面态度，导致心脏捐赠的需求与可用供应之间存在显著差距。本研究旨在全面了解沙特民众对HD的当前认知、态度和行为，以及识别其中的障碍。最终目标是加强当地的捐赠者库。
于2023年3月至5月进行了一项横断面研究，采用自行管理的网络调查。该调查收集了人口统计学信息，评估了与HD相关的认知、态度和行为，由来自沙特阿拉伯不同地区的1820名参与者完成。使用SPSS 25版（美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥市SPSS公司）对数据进行分析。进行了卡方检验、独立样本t检验、单因素方差分析（ANOVA）和Spearman相关系数分析，显著性水平设定为p < 0.05。
相当一部分人群（在1820名参与者中）没有器官捐赠卡，并且对登记过程不确定。参与者对HD的了解程度中等，大约一半人对HD持负面态度。相当比例的参与者（62.0%）不愿意登记成为心脏捐赠者，但大多数人（79.9%）愿意通过传播HD信息来做出贡献。该研究确定了知识得分与几个因素之间的显著关联，包括年龄（p = 0.002）、职业（p = 0.000）、拥有器官捐赠卡（p = 0.000）以及亲属中有移植或器官捐赠史（p = 0.000）。在态度得分与几个因素之间观察到显著关系，包括职业（p = 0.001）、沙特地区（p = 0.025）、拥有器官捐赠卡（p = 0.000）以及亲属中有移植或器官捐赠史（p = 0.000）。
该研究强调迫切需要提高认知，以增加当地心脏捐赠者的数量。医疗保健专业人员的参与和社会宣传活动对于提高公众知识并可能提高个人成为捐赠者的意愿至关重要。
