Exploring the role of posthumous organ donation attitudes: A comparative study of Egyptian cancer patients and healthy individuals.

Abstract

e22605 Background: Organ transplantation is a critical intervention for patients with end-stage organ failure, including those suffering from cancer-related organ damage. This study examines how chronic illness, specifically cancer, affects these attitudes by comparing cancer patients to healthy individuals and explores their awareness of relevant Egyptian laws. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two Egyptian governorates, involving 6,000 participants equally divided between cancer patients and healthy individuals. Data were collected through structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires, focusing on socio-demographic factors, knowledge of organ donation, and consent preferences. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of willingness to donate. Results: Cancer patients showed a significantly higher willingness to accept posthumous organ donation (91%) compared to healthy individuals (60%). Both groups favored written consent and incentivized donation options. Key predictors for healthy participants included age, job status, socioeconomic class, and awareness of donation laws, while these factors were less influential for cancer patients. Conclusions: The findings suggest that cancer increases openness to organ donation, regardless of socio-demographic factors. Tailored public awareness campaigns and flexible consent processes could enhance organ donation rates in Egypt. Health authorities should consider more formal consent processes for healthy individuals and simplified, surrogate-inclusive options for cancer patients. Comparison between chronically ill patients and healthy participants regarding personal preferences for consenting posthumous organ donation. Personal Preferences Patientsout of willing(n=2739) Healthy participantsout of willing(n=1815) COR (CI) P value by z test between proportions Written consent 1920 (70.1) 1365 (75.2) 0.8 (0.7-0.9) ** <0.001** Oral consent 819 (29.9) 450 (24.8) <0.001** Personal Preferences of consent with or without incentives With incentives 1632 (59.6) 993 (54.7) 1.2 (1.1-1.4) ** 0.001** Without incentives 1107 (40.4) 822 (45.3) 0.001** Personal Preference for Four Organ Donation Consenting Systems Informed consent by donor only 249 (9.1) 221 (12.2) <0.001** Informed consent by donor only or surrogate 277 (10.1) 105 (5.8) 0.4 (0.3-0.6) ** <0.001** Oral consent by donor only 249 (9.1) 91 (5.0) 0.4 (0.3-0.6) ** <0.001** Implementation of presumed consent 227 (8.3) 82 (4.5) 0.3 (0.3-0.5) ** <0.001** (a) Informed consent by donor only vs. Informed consent by donor only or surrogate (b) Informed consent by donor only vs. Oral consent by donor only (c) Informed consent by donor only vs. Implementation of presumed consent. **Highly significant: p <0.01.