Attitudes of Australian emergency department clinicians toward organ and tissue donation: An analysis of cultural and religious influences

Abstract

Objectives-To determine Australian emergency department clinicians' cultural and religious barriers to organ and tissue donation (OTD).Method-A national cross-sectional survey of physicians and nurses working in Australian emergency departments. An online questionnaire of 133 items was delivered via e-mail.Results-Responses were received from 599 of 2969 (20%) physicians and 212 of 1026 (21%) nurses. Respondents were generally representative of the colleges. Participants were from 26 cultures and 9 religious groups. Self-rated competence in OTD tasks was low for some minority groups: South American, Caribbean, and Pacific Islanders reported little competence in identifying, referring, and ca..