<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0020_s_006">
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>The paper presents the findings of the first large-scale survey on post-mortem organ donation among the general Slovenian population. It focuses on the reported donation willingness, the barriers to joining the register of organ donors and the position towards consent to donate organs of deceased relatives.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0020_s_007">
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>A face-to-face survey was conducted on a probability sample of 1,076 Slovenian residents between October and December 2017. The performed analyses included estimations of means and proportions for target variables, an evaluation of between-group differences and a partial proportional odds model to study the relations between organ donation willingness and socio-demographic characteristics.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0020_s_008">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>The mean reported willingness to donate one’s own organs after death was 3.77 on a 5-point scale, with less than a third of respondents claiming to be certainly willing. Only 6% of those at least tentatively willing to donate organs were certain to join the register of organ donors in the future. The most frequently reported barriers to registration were unfamiliarity with the procedure and a lack of considering it beforehand. The reported willingness to donate organs of a deceased relative strongly depended on the knowledge of the relative’s wishes, yet 80% of the respondents did not discuss their wishes with any family members.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2019-0020_s_009">
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>The findings confirm the gap between the reported donation willingness and joining the register of donors. Future post-mortem organ donation strategies need to consider socio-demographic and attitudinal factors of donation willingness and help stimulate the communication about organ donation wishes between family members.</p></sec>
</abstract>

Introduction
The paper presents the findings of the first large-scale survey on post-mortem organ donation among the general Slovenian population. It focuses on the reported donation willingness, the barriers to joining the register of organ donors and the position towards consent to donate organs of deceased relatives.

Methods
A face-to-face survey was conducted on a probability sample of 1,076 Slovenian residents between October and December 2017. The performed analyses included estimations of means and proportions for target variables, an evaluation of between-group differences and a partial proportional odds model to study the relations between organ donation willingness and socio-demographic characteristics.

Results
The mean reported willingness to donate one’s own organs after death was 3.77 on a 5-point scale, with less than a third of respondents claiming to be certainly willing. Only 6% of those at least tentatively willing to donate organs were certain to join the register of organ donors in the future. The most frequently reported barriers to registration were unfamiliarity with the procedure and a lack of considering it beforehand. The reported willingness to donate organs of a deceased relative strongly depended on the knowledge of the relative’s wishes, yet 80% of the respondents did not discuss their wishes with any family members.

Conclusions
The findings confirm the gap between the reported donation willingness and joining the register of donors. Future post-mortem organ donation strategies need to consider socio-demographic and attitudinal factors of donation willingness and help stimulate the communication about organ donation wishes between family members.

Reluctance and willingness for organ donation after death among the Slovene general population

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Zadržki in pripravljenost darovati organe po smrti med splošno populacijo v Sloveniji

Introduction
The paper presents the findings of the first large-scale survey on post-mortem organ donation among the general Slovenian population. It focuses...

Reluctance and willingness for organ donation after death among the Slovene general population

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Oct 01, 2019

Page range: 155 - 163

Received: Nov 26, 2018

Accepted: Jul 29, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2019-0020

Keywords
tissue and organ procurement, organ donors, surveys and questionnaires, sampling studies, informed consents

© 2019 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Reluctance and willingness for organ donation after death among the Slovene general population

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Oct 01, 2019

Page range: 155 - 163

Received: Nov 26, 2018

Accepted: Jul 29, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2019-0020

Keywordstissue and organ procurement, organ donors, surveys and questionnaires, sampling studies, informed consents

© 2019 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
tissue and organ procurement, organ donors, surveys and questionnaires, sampling studies, informed consents