Objective:

To assess the knowledge level of organ donation and transplantation in health care workers at Barranquilla city in Colombia.

Methodology:

We performed a cross-sectional study from June to December 2019. Data were collected with the use of a semi-structured questionnaire regarding organ and tissue donation for transplant. This questionnaire was applied to 232 health care professionals associated with six health institutions located at Barranquilla. The main medical areas were adult and pediatric critical care units and emergency departments.

Results:

75% of the participants were female. The study included nursing assistants (43,5%), nurses (25,4%), physicians (22,8%) and physiotherapists (8,2%). 84,5% of the participants had a correct definition of Brain Death (BD) and 50,4% had adequate knowledge about presumption consent in organ donation, 52,4% knew organ donation laws correctly, and 78,9% knew how to activate an organ donation alert. here was no significant difference in organ and tissue donation knowledge comparing the six health institutions (p=0.42). However, we found a significant difference in presumption consent in organ donation regarding medical areas (p=0.000), and ME definition distinguish between health care staff (p=0.001).

Conclusion:

We identified a need for education and training regarding organ and tissue donation in health care staff. Regional efforts should focus on improving the level of knowledge in these areas to increase the organ donor pool and strengthen transplant programs.

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