Abstract
Important discussions in Japan were held in 2006 regarding revisions to the law relating to organ transplantation from deceased persons. Currently, prior informed consent of the deceased person as well as family agreement is required. Changes to the law could potentially eliminate prior consent of a deceased person in the case of sudden death. This study investigated the acceptance and understanding of brain death and organ transplantation, as well as attitudes towards death held by nursing students and their parents. Questionnaires were distributed in a Japanese university to nursing students, and posted to students' parents volunteering their address. From a total of 240 pairs of questionnaires distributed, responses were received from 137 pairs or 274 in total (57.1%). Using SPSS, the data was analyzed for correlations between acceptance of transplantation, age, religion, reliance on a health care professional, view of brain death, and death attitude between the total group of students and parents, and matched pairs of parent and child. Results indicated that 93 (67.9%) of the students and 81 (59.1%) of the parents accepted brain death as the death of a human, while a total of 189 (69.0%) participants wished to become a donor themselves. However, only 79 (28.8%) participants would to allow their family member to become a donor. Acceptance of transplantation was significantly related to age, religion, reliance on a health care professional, view of brain death, and death attitude. Nurses need to consider that 70% of the participants did not want their family member to be a donor, even if this person wished to be this donor. These results have strong implications for nursing practice.
