Knowledge, Attitude and Opinion Regarding Eye Donation Among Postgraduate Doctors In Tamil Nadu; A Cross-Sectional Study
Keywords:
Eye donation, Attitude, Knowledge, South India, PostgraduatesAbstract
Introduction: Corneal diseases are a major contributing factor to visual impairment and treatable blindness on a global scale, with prevalence in developing nations such as India. Corneal opacity is the major cause of blindness among population aged below 49 years. Corneal transplantation stands as the primary treatment option for individuals afflicted with corneal blindness resulting from various corneal diseases. It is therefore imperative to promote eye donation among individuals. Improving the knowledge and attitude regarding eye donation amongst future primary care givers is one of the most efficient ways to promote eye donation and eliminate any existing taboos.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study with its target population as postgraduate doctors in the state of Tamil Nadu. A total of 304 participants took part in the study and the required data was collected and analysed with Excel and SPSS v.26.
Results: The mean score of knowledge regarding eye donation among the participants was 57.27 (Good). The attitude towards eye donation among ~30% of the participants though was found to be negative. The mean knowledge score was significantly higher among ophthalmology postgraduates by a mean difference of 13.3 (p-value < .001) indicating capacity for excellent improvement with right measures. There was a positive association of high significance between knowing someone personally who has pledged their eyes and willing/ already opted to donate eyes. It was also revealed that the postgraduate doctors preferred awareness programs by medical personnel for efficiently creating more awareness than mass media approach.
Conclusion: Our research indicates that there is some negative attitude among the participants despite having good knowledge, which is evident for the possibility of improving their attitudes with minimal efforts. Family members approval seems to be one of the leading causes for the hesitancy towards eye donation. Religious reasons seem to one of the major reasons for hesitancy even amongst medical professionals at present age. Systematic awareness programmes by ophthalmologists for medical personnel of other departments could play a vital role in improving the knowledge and attitude towards eye donation
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