Research Article
Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance of ICU, CCU, and
Emergency Wards Nurses in Kermanshah, Iran, regarding
Organ Donation
Maryam Janatolmakan, Ali Soroush, Roghayeh Nouri, Bahare Andayeshgar,
and Alireza Khatony
Clinical Research Development Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Correspondence should be addressed to Alireza Khatony; akhatony@gmail.com
Received 30 May 2020; Accepted 17 September 2020; Published 27 September 2020
Academic Editor: Timothy E. Albertson
Copyright©2020MaryamJanatolmakanetal.isisanopenaccessarticledistributedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Background. Providing an organ for donation is a major problem worldwide and nurses play an important role in facilitating the
process of organ donation. is study is aimed at investigating the knowledge, attitude, and performance of nurses working in the
ICU, CCU, and emergency wards regarding organ donation. Methods. In this descriptive-analytical study, 185 nurses working in
ICU, CCU, and emergency wards were studied through systematic random sampling. e data collection was done by a self-
administered questionnaire. Results. e mean knowledge of nurses was 8.9 ± 1.4 out of 10. ere was a significant relationship
between knowledge of nurses regarding donation and religion and having organ donation card (P < 0.001). e mean attitude of
nurses was 7.8 ± 2.2 out of 8. e variables, including “having a donation card and marriage,” were associated with attitude of
nurses toward organ donation. e mean performance of nurses was 0.4 ± 0.7 out of 3. ere was a significant relationship
between performance of nurses and having a donation card (P < 0.001). Knowledge was the strongest predictor of nurses’
performance (P < 0.01). Conclusion. e studied nurses showed sufficient knowledge and favorable attitude toward organ
donation; however, they had poor performance. It is suggested to hold training courses to improve performance of nurses. e
revision of the nursing students’ curriculum as future nurses should also be considered.
1. Introduction
Organ donation and organ transplants are social activities
used to survive and improve the lives of millions of people
who have the chance to live [1, 2]. Organ failure has adverse
effects on the quality of life of people, which results in
mortality. Despite several advancements in medicine, organ
transplant is the only treatment option for those with End-
stage organ failure [3, 4]. However, many patients with
organ failure die due to organ shortage for transplantation
[5]. Today, the demand for organ transplants is increasing
worldwide with an increasing number of those in the waiting
list for organ transplantation [3, 6, 7]. Iran is considered as
one of 30 countries with high demand for organ donation
[8]. Accordingly, every 10 minutes, one person is added to
the waiting list for organ transplant, and, every two hours,
one patient dies while waiting for organ transplantation. In
Iran, however, one person is dead every 70 minutes due to
brain death [9]. Organ failure is a major concern worldwide,
so promoting organ donation in all countries is essential
[10]. Although organ donation is a personal issue, its process
is complex and multidimensional, including medical, legal,
ethical, organizational, and social aspects [10, 11]. Nurses are
regarded as the key factors in facilitating the organ donation
process, which can help prevent the loss of transplantable
organs by obtaining family consent for organ donation.
eir knowledge and attitude regarding organ donation can
influence public opinion as well as the relatives’ decision
about deceased organ donation [1, 12]. In the United
Kingdom, the organ donation process is primarily
Hindawi
Critical Care Research and Practice
Volume 2020, Article ID 5167623, 7 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5167623