Kidney donation: bridging the gap in the shortage of kidney transplants in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Islahudin, Farida Hanim, Shahdan, Intan Azura, Li, Ming Kua
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: Emerald 2022
• Subjects: R Medicine (General); RD Surgery
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/88837/1/88837_Kidney%20donation.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/88837/2/88837_Kidney%20donation_Scopus.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/88837/; https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHR-05-2020-0144/full/html

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to identify factors that affect willingness to donate kidneys posthumously among Malaysians. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study assessing demographics, attitude, spirituality, knowledge and willingness to donate a kidney was conducted among adult Malaysians with oral informed consent. The total number of samples was 1,001 respondents. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was performed. Findings – A total of 29.17% (n 5 292) were willing to donate kidneys, while the remaining 70.83% (n 5 709) were not. The mean spirituality score was 80.95 ± 13.79 (maximum score 100), mean attitude score was 52.88 ± 8.074 (maximum score 70) and mean knowledge score was 1.84 ± 0.99 (maximum score 5). A higher score demonstrated a stronger spiritual level, positive attitude and better knowledge. Factors affecting willingness to donate a kidney were ethnicity (odds ratio [OR] 5 15.625, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5 0.043– 0.094) and attitude toward kidney donation score (OR 5 0.924, 95% CI 5 0.902–0.945). Originality/value – Culture-specific steps to improve programs that may contribute toward improving kidney donation posthumously among Malaysians should be developed. Results drawn from this work demonstrate that policymakers, health-care workers and stakeholders should work together to promote effective policies and program implementation to reduce the ever-increasing gap between the need and shortage crisis of kidney donation.