Attitudes towards organ donation in Malta in the last decade

Abstract

Organ transplantation is possibly one of the few cases when even though the medical professionals have the expertise to carry out transplants of certain organs, and even though a person may have financial resources to cover every possible cost, the treatment can prove impossible to give because of the absence of an organ to transplant. It is for this reason that many countries spend thousands of pounds on promoting organ donation through health campaigns. In this paper the results of four surveys carried out before and after a national campaign for promoting organ donation will be analysed. A quota sample of 400 participants took part in each survey. The results show that, after the campaign, attitudes towards organ donation became more positive and this phenomenon was maintained for 10 years after the campaign.