Opposition to organ donation and transplant by midwifery, nursing, and social work students.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the individual and social factors of students enrolled in undergraduate programs of midwifery, nursing, and social work, regarding their negative attitudes on organ donation and transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was descriptive research, consisting of 29 first- and second-year students from the departments of midwifery, nursing, and social work at the Kocaeli School of Health, Kocaeli University, in Kocaeli, Turkey, who expressed that they were opposed to organ donation and transplant. Data were collected in June 2012 during focus group discussions with a semistructured questionnaire and analyzed by thematic content analysis. RESULTS Regarding negative attitudes toward organ donation and transplant, 7 themes were identified: fear, lack of knowledge, religious belief, loss of bodily integrity, the degree of recipient relationship, the decision 's effect on the family, and fulfilment of certain criteria for a recipient. CONCLUSIONS The study shows that the most important determinants of students' negative attitudes regarding organ donation and transplant are fear, lack of knowledge, and religious beliefs. Adding courses to the undergraduate curricula of midwifery, nursing, and social work programs about organ donation and transplant would increase these students ' knowledge.